


Oneshots from A Brave New World

by Cithara



Series: A Brave New World Universe [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-04-30 16:31:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14501052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cithara/pseuds/Cithara
Summary: This will be where I post all the oneshot stories that I write in the universe of my fic "A Brave New World". The stories will depict Harry and Severus' life after the events in the final battle and show how they get on living as a married couple and as parents to their two sons.





	1. Caleb

**Author's Note:**

> This will be the first of many oneshots following our favourite boys. If you would like to see a particular scenario please let me know and I'll see what I can do.
> 
> I will mostly be uploading these in chronological order but an odd one might slip out of the timeline here and there. I hope you all enjoy them.

Caleb

"Not every single toy needs to be educational!"

"You'd have our son raised a halfwit."

"Our son isn't even born yet, and already you want to make sure he's a member of MENSA."

Severus rolled his eyes and chucked the catalogue down on the breakfast bar, glaring at the back of his husband's head as he shuffled around the kitchen fixing lunch and making a pot of tea.

"He can have the more educational stuff when he's a toddler, but for a newborn baby we want to just focus on sensory things. The toys I've marked in the catalogue are great, and they come highly recommended by all the child development experts."

Harry levitated all the lunch things over to the breakfast bar and sat across from Severus, pouring them both a cup of tea, leaving Severus' black and adding milk and sugar to his own.

They were both nervous, Caleb's arrival was imminent, and any day could be the one they received news from Beth that she had gone into labour. Harry had directed all his attentions to making sure the nursery was absolutely perfect and had changed the colour of the walls five times in the last three days. They were currently a warm custard colour, but Harry had yet to decide whether he actually liked it and Severus was fully expecting him to change it several more times before Caleb's arrival.

Both men were still living in faint disbelief that it was happening, that their firstborn son, whom they had spent many hours talking about, was now on his way. When the process had started they had embarked upon it with a certain amount of reverence, and it had taken them a long time to finally decide that Beth was the right woman to carry the child who, despite not yet existing, they already felt they knew.

The idea had first been mooted that perhaps Beth would move to the estate and live with them; Harry had been anxious to keep her close, wanting to spend as much time with his son as physically possible. However, understandably, Beth had wanted to remain close to her family, relying on her mother for help and advice, especially as her due date neared. She was a frequent visitor to the estate though, and Harry and Severus had been present at all the scans and had attended all the ante-natal classes with her.

She was a sensible and practical woman, whose intelligence appealed to Severus and whose warmth appealed to Harry. While it was true that Caleb would be made entirely of Severus and Harry and Beth was simply there to carry him to term, it was important to both men that they felt a connection with her and that she was the right person to bring their son into the world.

"To be honest," said Severus as Harry began slicing the bread, "I think we have more than enough toys for now. The nursery's full to bursting, he won't even play with them for the first few weeks. He'll be too busy screaming his lungs out and keeping us awake."

Harry grinned. "We might get lucky and get one of those babies that sleep for seven hours straight and only cries once a day."

Severus smirked and said, "It's my understanding that those sorts of babies are extremely rare."

"Well, if he inherits your temperament I'm expecting him to be a cantankerous little bugger," Harry said, eating a healthy mouthful of his soup and pretending that he couldn't see the glare his husband was sending his way.

There was silence for a moment as both men made a good dent in their lunch. Harry sipped at his tea then released a wistful sigh and looked up at Severus, saying, "I can't believe he's nearly here. It feels like we've been waiting for him for so long and now…"

Severus reached across the bar and took hold of Harry's hand, gifting him with a warm smile as he said, "I can hardly believe it myself."

"Are we ready, do you think?" Harry asked, his stomach fluttering with nerves as it had done ever since Beth had neared her due date.

"I'm not sure any parent is ever ready," Severus replied, continuing to hold Harry's hand gently. "But we've had longer than most to plan this moment."

"Oh God I hope we don't mess it all up. We'll be good parents, won't we?" Harry asked earnestly, and Severus gave his hand a squeeze.

"We'll do the best we can, my love, but I don't doubt we'll make mistakes along the way. The important thing is that we'll do it together."

Harry smiled and hopped down from his stool, walking around the breakfast bar to wrap himself around his husband. He felt Severus' mind nudge along the edge of senses, soothing and calming him.

He was always aware of his husband's mind and magic riding alongside his own, they hadn't existed as two separate entities since they had joined their magic to defeat Voldemort, but it was when he was upset or agitated that he noticed it most.

"What have you got planned this afternoon?" Harry asked, pulling back slightly, a grin playing about his lips.

"Why?" Severus asked, running his hands up and down Harry's sides.

"Well…I was thinking that we could take advantage of a nice, empty house and neither of us being busy at the moment," Harry said, leaning forward to pepper kisses along Severus' jaw.

"You're insatiable," Severus told him, but pulled him closer nevertheless.

"Mm I know," Harry murmured, letting his hands wander to the buttons on Severus' shirt. Severus' lips went to his throat and Harry triumphed over the first few buttons, letting his hand slip beneath the fabric and tease over the soft skin of Severus' chest. He was about to properly divest the man of his shirt when suddenly a loud alarm rang out and a clipped woman's voice said,

"Attention! Labour has begun, please make your way to St Mungo's. Attention! Labour has begun, please make your way to St Mungo's."

Harry pulled back and looked at Severus with wide eyes. "The alarm we set up! Oh my God, Beth's in labour, Caleb's on his way!"

"Calm down," Severus said, grabbing Harry's wrists and stopping him from flying into a frenzy. "Beth agreed she'd set off the alarm when her waters broke, so we've got ample time. Just take a moment to take a breath and then we'll be on our way."

Harry nodded taking a succession of short, frantic breaths before Severus raised a remonstrative eyebrow and he did his best to slow them. Their son was about to make his arrival into the world and although Harry had dreamt of this moment ever since he had first seen Caleb in the vision he had been shown, now that it was really happening, he could help but feel overwhelmed.

"We're going to meet him Sev, we're going to meet our son," he whispered, and Severus pulled him forward to place a soft kiss to his lips before he wrapped his arms around him and apparated them both to the hospital.

Beth was in a private room and seemed to be taking everything in her stride. Her contractions were getting closer together and the midwife seemed pleased with her progress.

"Can we get you anything?" Harry asked, taking hold of her hand while Severus looked through her medical file, giving off his usual air of authority.

"A large G&T would be wonderful right about now," Beth replied, a thin layer of sweat forming on her brow as her face reddened.

"I promise you, a lifetime's supply of G&Ts await you when all this is done," Harry said.

"I'll hold you to that," Beth said with a laugh, grimacing straight after as another contraction hit her.

They were allowed to stay for a little while longer until it became apparent she was going to start pushing. At that point, the midwife ushered them both out, saying that while she appreciated the child was theirs, neither or them was Beth's partner and that the woman was entitled to some privacy while she brought their child into the world.

They moved out into the corridor, each man as nervous as the other. Severus took a seat in one of the hideous plastic chairs while Harry paced up and down, fully aware that he was creating a perfectly stereotypical picture. Severus was aware as well, and snidely asked him if he was planning on handing out cigars to other expectant fathers.

"Now is not the time to wind me up," Harry said with a growl, wondering if it was actually possible to wear away the pattern on the floor.

"Pacing up and down won't solve anything, you'll make yourself dizzy."

"We've been out here for ages! Do you think something's gone wrong? Surely they should have told us something by now, what if – "

Severus rose from his seat and gently placed his hands either side of Harry's face, saying, "Everything will be fine. You can't hurry these things, and Beth is in the best possible hands. You need to try and stay calm, any minute now you're going to be meeting our son for the first time and he won't thank you if you're a nervous wreck."

Harry nodded and took a couple of deep breaths. "You're right, I know you're right, it's just…bloody hell this is the biggest moment of our lives! Defeating Voldemort was nothing compared to this!"

Severus gave a soft laugh and brushed his thumb over Harry's cheekbone in a gesture that was so beautifully familiar to Harry. "We'll deal with this the way we dealt with that – together, an unbeatable force," Severus said, and Harry grinned in response.

"You're right," he said softly, "there's nothing we can't face."

It was just as well that Harry had determined that to be the case, for a few moments later the midwife popped her head round the door and said with a warm smile,

"Gentlemen, would you two like to come and meet your son?"

Harry's stomach turned a hundred somersaults and he felt as though the floor had been pulled out from beneath him. He felt elated and terrified all at once, and he was grateful for Severus' hand on the small of his back, anchoring him gently to reality.

They walked back into the delivery room and Beth was lying back in bed, looking utterly exhausted but smiling broadly at the two of them.

"Beth, you amazing, wonderful woman!" Harry said, taking her hand and holding it tightly. "I can't begin to thank you, we're so grateful, you have no idea, this is just – "

His rambling speech was interrupted by a loud cry from the corner of the room and he looked over to see the nurse wrapping Caleb in a blanket, bringing him forward to the two of them.

"Oh my God," he whispered, taking in the first sight of his son. The nurse brought him closer and Harry held out his arms, taking great care as Caleb was transferred over to him.

He shifted the little bundle until Caleb nestled softly into the crook of his arm, his eyes looking unfocusedly up at his father. Harry's breathing was shaky as he looked down at him, taking in the fine smattering of black hair, pale skin and tiny little rosebud mouth. He knew what this tiny baby would grow in to, knew the strapping teenager on the cusp on manhood that he would become, but in that moment, all he could see was the baby in his arms that was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He had heard people speak about not really understanding love until their first child was placed in their arms, and in that moment, he finally understood what they meant. He had never felt the rush of sensation that welled up in his chest, the sudden sense of fierce protectiveness that surged through his veins, the all-encompassing, unequivocal love that he felt for this brand new life, one that he felt had always been with him.

"Might I be permitted to hold our son?" came Severus voice close to his ear and he was shaken from his trance, looking up at his husband with watery eyes and a bright smile.

"Sorry, got a bit carried away," he said, carefully transferring the precious bundle to Severus' arms.

He stood back and looked from his husband to his son, a feeling of wonder settling over him. He had admitted it to no one, not even Ron, but there had been a small part of him that had worried that having children was still something that Severus hadn't been one hundred percent sure about. He had worried that it was something Severus was going along with just to please him, to keep him happy, and although he hadn't sensed any of that in his husband's mind, he couldn't help but let it creep in his mind.

He had had concerns that perhaps Severus would struggle to bond with Caleb, or that he would be held back by his own fears, but as Harry stood in the hospital room watching as Severus looked down at their son, he knew that his worries were unfounded. He had never seen his husband with such an unguarded expression, even when he looked at him, and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw the pure and unfettered look of love in Severus' eyes as he drank in every detail of the baby in his arms.

Severus looked up at him and Harry felt as though everything had shifted, something had changed and from that moment on nothing would be the same again. They were now parents, they were responsible for a whole new person, a life that they had chosen to bring into the world.

" _I love you_ ," Harry said through their link, and he felt Severus' feelings of joy and wonder spill over, mingling with his own.

" _No more than I love you_ ," Severus replied. " _And I'm willing to argue with you over who loves our son more_."

" _We'll be here all day then_ ," Harry said, " _because I've never loved anything or anyone the way I love him_."

The next hour or so passed by in a blur. They sat with Beth, thanking her profusely until she instructed them to stop. She had several cuddles with Caleb, thrilled to finally meet the baby she had carried for nine months, whispering soft endearments and promising that she was going to spoil him rotten.

It had already been decided that Beth would be welcome in their home as often as she wanted, and she was keen to come and visit and see the baby's progress. Severus knew that Harry was already plotting to ask her, after an appropriate time, if she would consent to carry Benji as well. They had had such a good experience using her as a surrogate that Harry wouldn't have wanted to trust anyone else.

The midwife came to talk to them, running through all the things they needed to know and telling them that the Health Visitor would be out to see them in the next couple of weeks to check on the baby's progress and to answer any questions they might have. She told them that the birth had been fine, Caleb was a healthy weight at 8lb6oz and there were no issues that they needed to worry about.

Finally, when everything had been settled and they had made Beth promise to come and visit as soon as she had recovered, they were allowed to take Caleb home. They arrived back at the estate a little before 9 o'clock at night and took their little bundle straight up to the nursery.

Severus fired a quick letter off to Ron and Draco and told them that their godson had arrived and that they expected them at the estate the next day to welcome him into the family. After, he and Harry sat in the twin armchairs in front of Caleb's cot, their hands intertwined as they looked at their son.

He had been a bit fussy and had taken some time to settle, but he seemed content as he lay in his cot, emitting a few snuffling noises and occasionally kicking his tiny legs as he slept.

Severus and Harry were still riding high on adrenaline, and the enormity of the day's events was still thundering through their systems. Both men seemed to be operating on autopilot, shocked by the reality that their son was now with them. Harry had no doubt that they were in for a hell of a ride, but he couldn't think of anyone he would rather share it with than Severus.

* * *

Until he became a parent, Harry thought he knew what being tired felt like. He had gone without sleep before, had spent many a cold and lonely night lying awake worrying about things, plagued by nightmares that rendered sleep impossible, but all of that paled in significance next to how completely shattered he was as the father of a newborn baby.

He was sure he was turning into a zombie. Caleb didn't agree with sleeping during the night, and he wasn't too fond of sleeping for more than an hour during the day either. If one more person told Harry 'sleep when the baby sleeps, you'll soon get the rest you need', he was going to blow himself up.

His nerves were torn to shreds and felt as though he was existing in a fog. Ron had visited a few days prior and he had accidentally made him a drink without boiling the kettle, presenting his friend with a stone-cold cup of coffee. He had reacted to it by bursting into tears, much to Ron's consternation, and Severus had had to apologise for him while he locked himself in the bathroom and had a good cry.

He was convinced that he was doing everything wrong and that at some point the authorities would come and take his son away from him. The rational part of his brain told him that his son was healthy and happy, and was simply behaving like a normal baby, but the frenzied part of his brain was drowning such reasonable thoughts out.

"Go and get some sleep, I've got him for an hour to two," Severus said as he tested Caleb's bottle, squirting a couple of drops onto his forearm to check the temperature.

"I'm too exhausted to sleep," Harry said as Caleb continued to wail in his arms. "Come on sweetheart, just stop for a little while, you'll wear your lungs out."

Severus moved over and took him from Harry, hoisting him up onto his shoulder and rubbing his back as he jostled him gently. It did little to soothe him and although Harry didn't want his son to be in distress, he couldn't help but be thankful that it wasn't just him, that Severus had no more joy in stopping him from crying than he did.

"You're worse than a mandrake," Severus told him sternly as he continued to fuss. "We're going to have to stop this nonsense soon, it's not acceptable."

"I don't think speaking to him as though he's an errant schoolchild is going to help, love," Harry said, rolling his eyes, and regretting the action as they felt like sandpaper.

"Well your techniques seem to be having little success either, don't they?" Severus returned, leaving the kitchen to go and sit in the living room where he could sit more comfortably to give Caleb his bottle.

Harry stuck his tongue out at the man's retreating form, then buried his head in his hands and closed his eyes for a blissful moment. He tried to think whether or not he had eaten that day and found he couldn't remember the last meal he had actually sat down and finished. He only knew that he had had shower within the last twenty-four hours because he remembered having to take Caleb in with him, the water fascinating him long enough to stop him crying for a good ten minutes.

He was trying to work up the energy to get down from his stool and put the kettle on when the front doorbell rang loudly, jarring his already frazzled nerves. He sighed and made his way out of the kitchen, down the long corridor to the front door. If it was Jehovah's Witnesses he might well join them.

"Molly," he said in surprise as he opened the door to find her standing there with a broad smile and a large bag on her shoulder. "How lovely to see you, please come in."

He stood aside to let her in and she swept him up in a patented Weasley hug, releasing him to say, "I thought I'd come and see my grandson, and see how the two of you are getting on."

Harry beamed at her use of the word 'grandson', and suddenly felt a rush of sincere affection for the woman who had shown him what having a mother could be like. He showed her into the living room, and Severus looked up from feeding Caleb, offering her a tired smile as she took a seat on the sofa.

"Is he still not eating?" Harry asked, taking in the sight of the bottle that still looked mostly full.

"He doesn't seem interested," said Severus, shaking his head, taking the bottle from his son's lips and holding it up to see how little had gone down.

"Maybe we need to see the Health Visitor again, if he's losing weight…"

"All babies lose a little weight after they're born Harry, it's perfectly natural. He'll eat when he's hungry. Now come on, let's have a cuddle," she said, and her air of practicality and confidence made Harry feel as though perhaps the situation wasn't as dire as he imagined.

Severus handed Caleb over to her and she tucked him into her arm with the ease of a woman who had spent her life with children. He soon began to fuss again, but Molly simply carried on as though nothing was amiss, picking up the large bag she had brought and moving off into the kitchen.

She said nothing, but Severus and Harry felt as though they were meant to follow and so they did, to find she had the freezer open and was loading it with Tupperware full of food. She moved so effortlessly with a screaming baby and her stride wasn't broken once as she continued to stock the freezer, seemingly not bothered in the slightest by the crying baby.

Severus and Harry stood watching, both not entirely sure what was happening, but too tired to question it. Molly finished loading the freezer with everything she had brought with her, then turned to face them, saying over Caleb's screams,

"There we go, that's dinner sorted for the next seven nights. Everything's labelled, so just choose what you fancy and heat it with your wand. Now, you both look shattered, why don't you both go upstairs and get some sleep for a few hours while I watch over this little one?"

"Molly, we couldn't possibly ask you – " Severus began, but Molly cut him off, saying,

"He's my grandchild Severus, it's no imposition. Now, neither of you will be any use if you're dead on your feet and if I can help enough to let you get a few hours sleep, well, it's the least I can do. Go on, up the stairs with both of you, Caleb's in good hands."

Harry felt as though he should have protested, surely he couldn't just go upstairs and have a nap while his best friend's mother looked after his son? It seemed though, that his feet were already moving, and he found himself standing in his bedroom, Severus by his side, each wondering if perhaps Molly had used magic to get them up there.

They were soon to realise that Molly possessed magic beyond anything they could have imagined. Both men slept for the rest of the afternoon and woke feeling better than they had done since they had brought Caleb home from the hospital. They descended the stairs in a slight haze, wondering what felt wrong until they both came to the realisation that there was no noise of crying ringing through the house.

Harry was convinced that Molly had spirited Caleb back to the Burrow when they entered the living room to find Molly sitting in one of the armchairs, knitting away merrily while Caleb dozed softly in his Moses basket.

"What did you do?" Harry asked, his voice conveying his wonder.

She smiled up at them both and said, "Little mite had a touch of heartburn. I gave him some bicarbonate of soda with a little warm water and it's done the trick. I also tried him with some goat's milk, it's a little softer on the system than cow's milk and he seemed to enjoy it."

"It was that simple?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Well, this time around, but the next time he fusses it'll be something different. It's just a question of realising what each little cry means. They've got their own ways of communicating, you'll soon pick it up. Now, I should leave you both in peace, but remember, I'm only a firecall away. I'll call round soon, give you both a chance to catch up on your sleep."

She packed away her knitting and cast one last fond glance down at the sleeping baby before she moved to stand in front of Severus and Harry. "Don't you two forget to eat. Hopefully you'll find something in the freezer that takes your fancy, I've put a shepherd's pie in specially for you Severus, I know it's your favourite," she said with a smile, and before either she or Harry could register what was happening, Severus had moved forward and wrapped her up in a hug.

Harry had never seen anyone look quite so surprised as Molly did as she looked over Severus' shoulder at him. If he hadn't been so tired he might have been able to summon a laugh, but all he could do was blink in disbelief as his husband hugged his honourary mother.

Severus pulled away sharply, two dark spots of red on each cheek, looking as though he had a momentary loss of sanity. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I should…see about starting dinner."

He left the living room and Harry tried to subdue his grin as he watched his husband go. He turned back to face Molly, who was looking at him with a fond smile, and said,

"Thank you Molly."

"I thought we'd agreed you could call me Mum if you wanted."

"Thank you Mum," Harry said, reminded, not for the first time, how grateful he was to this amazing woman who had always done her best to look after him. "I honestly don't know what we'd have done without you."

"Oh it was nothing. This is what grandmothers are here for, and as that little fella is my first grandchild, I intend to spoil him rotten!" She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and reached out to lay a gentle hand on his cheek. "Don't you worry about a thing. You'll feel lost and confused for a long time yet, but Caleb's thriving. Just relax a bit and learn to enjoy it, you're doing fine."

Harry hadn't realised how much he had needed to hear that, and he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. The sleep he had had coupled with the thought of a hearty Molly Weasley meal was enough to bolster him to see him through the next few days, and he felt the gratitude well up inside him until it threatened to overwhelm him.

"I'll see you soon sweetheart, call me if you need anything."

Molly showed herself out and Harry heard the soft pop of apparation a couple of moments after. He moved back into the living room and knelt down beside the Moses basket, smiling at the sleeping form of his son. Molly was right; he needed to learn to enjoy this. Before he knew it, Caleb would be the tall 17-year-old he had seen in the future and he would be wondering where the time had gone and what had happened to this tiny baby.

He intended to savour every moment of his son, and although he knew there would be countless more sleepless nights ahead, he knew he had a mum who would help him over the hurdles and a husband who would support him as they both learnt to find their feet on this wonderful and terrifying new adventure.


	2. Promises

Promises

The house was calm and quiet as Harry shouldered open the front door and stood in the porch shuffling out of his cloak. He and Severus had learnt very early on that one simply didn't shout out greetings in a house with a baby, as it left a person liable to having their testicles hexed off from the party who had, after much coaxing and praying, finally managed to get said baby to sleep. He knew Severus was home, he could feel the man's senses roll against the edge of his mind and could feel the tingle of his magic permeate through the corridors.

He had been out picking up more baby supplies, which was the never-ending story of his life these days, then had stopped by Ron and Draco's for a coffee and a catch up. Draco was in his final year of medical school and was thoroughly exhausted with the relentless study schedule, while Ron was working hard as Leonard Broomfield's assistant. Both men were thriving in their chosen fields, and Draco had just learnt that he had been accepted as a Junior Healer to St Mungo's and would be able to specialise in his chosen area of chronic curses and their effects.

Harry was aware that Ginny had also been accepted to St Mungo's and would be branching off into paediatrics, and he fully expected to be summoned to a classic Weasley party at the Burrow to celebrate these achievements. He would be more than happy to attend; his life seemed to consist of nothing more than nappies, sleepless nights and washing baby clothes. He adored it, there was no denying it, but a change of scenery was long overdue.

He did a quick sweep of the downstairs rooms and discovered that Severus was in none of them, so made his way upstairs to see if he could track down his husband and son. The nursery was also empty, but Caleb's favourite toy, a plush teddy bear that Hermione had bought him when he was first born, was absent. That left only one room.

Harry walked quietly down the corridor to his and Severus' bedroom and opened the door softly, smiling at the sight that greeted him. Severus was fast asleep on his side, his hand splayed out towards the little cot that clipped to the side of the bed, ensuring closeness without fear of harming the baby. A chubby little fist was closed around two of Severus' fingers while Caleb slept, snuffling softly.

The image of his husband and his son fast asleep, hands entwined was enough to make Harry's chest constrict in the most beautiful way possible. He would never tire of watching Severus with Caleb, and the tenderness and affection that the man was capable of when it came to their little boy was breath-taking.

Harry had sometimes found it hard to picture the kind of father Severus would be. He knew he would be a good one and would do his best to support and nurture their children, but he hadn't imagined that Severus would allow himself to be so tactile. He cuddled and kissed Caleb, he lay on the floor with him as the little boy rolled around, encouraging him to try and crawl, and he rocked and soothed him when he cried. His love for his son was palpable, and Harry knew that their boys would never need to question how their parents felt about them.

As though aware of his father's scrutiny, Caleb's soft brown eyes opened and he blinked up at Harry before smiling at him, kicking his legs in his own happy version of a greeting. Not wanting Severus to be wakened, Harry reached down and picked Caleb up, peppering his cheeks with kisses.

"How's my gorgeous boy then?" he whispered as the little boy let out a series of happy gurgles. "Have you been a good boy for your daddy?"

He couldn't believe that the tiny little bundle they had brought home from the hospital was now this bouncy six-month-old. Caleb seemed to change every day; his capabilities improved, he became stronger, he made all sorts of different noises and his face was beginning to take on its own characteristics. There was no question that he favoured Severus, but his features were a lot softer and he had Harry's mouth and brow.

"Uncle Ron and Uncle Draco send big hugs and kisses," he told him, "and they'll come and see you soon."

Caleb continued to gurgle happily, kicking his legs and wriggling in Harry's hold. Harry took him over to the large doors at the end of the room and walked out onto the little balcony. It was February and surprisingly warm, but Harry still cast a warming charm over his son as he took him out into the fresh air.

"Isn't it a lovely day, pickle? Don't the gardens look pretty? When you're old enough, I'll make you and your brother a treehouse in that tree over there, and we can put one of those big wooden climbing frames over there. Grandad says he'll build you a swing when you're old enough, won't that be fun?"

Harry smiled and pictured all the things he was telling his son about. The garden would be a haven for him and Benji; they would have everything they wanted, and they would be able to make up such wonderful adventures together.

"I didn't get to play with things like that when I was little," he said softly as Caleb began to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt. "I didn't have toys or games, and I certainly didn't get to play outside, but you're going to get to have all those things that I didn't. You're going to have the happiest childhood that your father and I can possibly give you, I promise. You're going to be loved, and you're going to be safe."

It was a promise he had made the very first time he had held his son, and it was a promise he had made countless times since. He knew that all parents, all _good_ parents anyway, wanted nothing less for their children, but he was sure that he felt it more keenly than most. He tried not to, but he still felt the bitter sting of resentment when he thought about his childhood.

It had taken him a long time to realise that his experiences weren't normal, that other children weren't treated the way he had been. The neglect had been bad enough, but the abuse he had suffered when he became older was abhorrent. Time spent with Severus speaking about it had made him see that it wasn't his fault, but it hadn't helped him to understand it. It was even less comprehensible to him after he had become a father.

He cuddled Caleb a little closer and whispered into the soft temple he nuzzled against, "You have no idea how much I love you. I loved you before you even existed, when I found out that you were just a distant possibility on the horizon. You're the best thing I've ever done."

He felt himself enveloped by a strong pair of arms and he and Caleb were wrapped up in Severus' hold. "I second your father's assessment," Severus murmured softly as he tenderly stroked Caleb's head. "You are, by far, my finest achievement."

Harry smiled and turned around to place a soft kiss to Severus' lips. "Sorry if I woke you," he said as Severus took Caleb, the little boy nestling into the crook of Severus' neck as had become his habit.

"I was only dozing. Your son was remarkably willing to have a nap today."

The two men moved back inside and settled themselves down on the bed, Caleb happily pillowed between them, kicking his legs and grabbing at his ankles, seemingly fascinated by his own feet.

Harry couldn't help but let out a happy sigh of contentment as he snuggled up against his husband, feeling the usual surge of gratitude he felt when he remembered how hard this life had been fought for.

"Ron and Drake say hello. Drake has his placement at St Mungo's."

"That's wonderful news, we'll have to celebrate," Severus replied, looking down at his son with the same look of warm affection that he seemed utterly unable to hide, no matter how hard he tried.

Harry stretched and was about to let his eyes close when he felt Severus tighten his hold around his shoulders, his long nose nuzzling against his hair as he whispered, "Caleb will have everything we didn't, my love."

Harry indulged in letting himself be held and said softly, "I know, we'll make sure of it. I know we're not going to be perfect, but we love him, and that's more important that anything else, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Severus said, reaching down and letting Caleb grab hold of his fingers, smiling at his son. "I had wondered if I was capable of such a thing, if I could give him all the things that I had so desperately wanted when I was a child, but I find that loving him is the easiest thing I have ever done."

Harry felt a wave of emotion hit him squarely in the chest, and he couldn't determine whether it was his own or Severus'. He tilted his head up and met Severus' lips in a deep, loving kiss, overwhelmed by the force of what Severus had said.

There had been countless times when their experience of parenthood hadn't been so picture-perfect, when they had been exhausted, covered in baby sick and worried that they were doing everything wrong. There had been arguments over whose methods were better, slurs on each other's winding techniques and abilities to remember nursery rhymes, and rows over who had had the least sleep.

All of that paled in comparison to these moments though, times when Caleb was happy and content, when they'd had a few decent hours of sleep the night before and when they could remind themselves that all the hard times were worth it for these times of happy reflection.

"I love you," Harry murmured as he pulled away and pressed his forehead to Severus'. "And I love that I get to have the best adventure of my life with you. Half the reason this is all so amazing is because I get to share it with you."

"The feeling's mutual my love," Severus replied, shifting to press a kiss to Harry's forehead.

Caleb emitted another surge of happy little gurgles, and both men turned their attention back to their son, each offering him their fingers to play with. Yes, Harry thought as Caleb reached out and grabbed his thumb, his son would have everything he could give him and more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously I'm in a very soppy mood at the moment : ) I hope you enjoyed it, let me know.


	3. Milestones

Milestones

Laughter and chatter filled the gardens of the estate and Harry excused himself to the kitchen to make sure that the second lot of food was soon to make its way out of the kitchen. Dobby was doing a fine job, and Harry felt relieved, not for the first time, that he had finally given in to the elf's demands to come and work for him.

"All smells fantastic Dobs, I don't know how you do it," he said as he watched the elf levitate a plate of piping hot finger food out towards the gardens.

"Feeding Master Harry's guests is much easier than feeding hungry children at Hogwarts," Dobby replied, adjusting the emerald green waistcoat that Harry and Severus had given him for Christmas the previous year.

Harry smiled and grabbed another bottle of champagne from the fridge and ambled leisurely out to the garden. The place was full of family and friends, all there to celebrate Caleb's first birthday. It was the beginning of August and everyone was taking advantage of the beautiful weather to enjoy the gardens that Harry had worked so hard to bring back to life.

He moved over to where the twins were sitting and presented them with the bottle that they had asked for, saying,

"Didn't I leave my son with you two?"

Fred grinned up at him and said, "Your husband took him off us, he didn't appreciate us trying to teach him to say 'Slytherins stink'."

Harry snorted. "You'd be lucky, he's got a very specific list of words and he doesn't deviate from them. Need I remind you that he's only one?"

"You've got to start them young, Harry," George said, liberating the cork from the bottle with a noisy pop. "We have to teach him Gryffindor pride!"

"He might not be in Gryffindor," Harry argued.

"Even so. Fred and I plan to make sure he knows all the important sayings."

"I see now why Severus took him off you," Harry said, rolling his eyes and leaving the twins to their inanity. He couldn't really blame them, they were in the midst of planning a joint wedding, George to Angelina and Fred to Katie. Both women, it seemed, had very specific ideas of how they wanted the day to go and although they were the best of friends, there had been some harsh words traded.

He spotted Severus off by the summerhouse, Caleb balanced effortlessly on his hip, as he spoke with Remus and Hermione. The potion to reverse Hermione's paralysis had been a great success, but she was still undergoing extensive physical therapy and rehabilitation. She could now walk unaided, but if she did so for longer than half an hour she found herself deeply fatigued and suffering from painful muscle spasms.

She was currently sitting in her wheelchair, being careful not to overexert herself while Remus stood beside her, a gentle hand resting on her shoulder as all three contributed to what looked like an earnest, academic conversation.

Harry smiled and let his eye rove over the rest of the garden. Arthur and Molly were cooing over Victoire, Bill and Fleur looking on contentedly. The little girl had arrived in April and was nearly 4-months-old. She was the most beautiful little baby Harry had ever seen and was the image of her mother.

Charlie and Maddie, who had only been married a month and who had returned from their honeymoon a couple of days ago, were talking with Lars and Ginny, showing them their holiday snaps. Harry was glad to have avoided that so far. There was, as far as he was concerned, nothing more tedious than being forced to look at pictures of other people's holidays. From the expression on Lars' face, he rather suspected that his friend felt the same way.

Lucius and Narcissa were strolling arm-in-arm around the acreage that Harry had given over solely to planting herbs, flowers and potions ingredients, and it looked as though Neville was acting as their guide. It made sense as he had had more than just a hand in designing and maintaining the area, and Harry looked to him for help and advice in all things pertaining to planting. It made him smile to see how the man had blossomed and he only hoped that Neville's newfound confidence would enable him to finally ask Luna out on a date. Merlin knew they were made for each other.

Ron and Draco were sitting in the squishy recliners on the patio and had their heads bent together in conspiratorial conversation. They had been whispering and giggling together all day and Harry could tell that Ron was fit to burst with excitement. He hadn't seen the man so giddy since his and Draco's wedding day three years prior. He fully intended, when the day's events had wound down, to confront the two of them and find out exactly what was going on.

He saw Marcus, Adam and Leada moving over to join Severus, Leada taking Caleb with a smile while Marcus tickled his feet, as Adam spoke with Hermione, no doubt about her recovery. Harry was looking around wondering where Daniel had got to, as his parents were conspicuously absent him, when he felt a dead weight barrel into him from behind. He managed to steady himself just in time to avoid being flung to the floor while a skinny pair of arms held onto him.

"There you are, you little imp! I was looking for you," he told the boy as he turned around to face him, Daniel stepping back slightly.

"Uncle Harry, you promised you'd come and play hide and seek with me!"

"I know pup, I'm sorry. I got side-tracked making sure everyone had enough food."

"When are we having cake? Mum promised there'd be cake."

Harry grinned and slung an around the boy's shoulders, saying, "In a little while sweetheart, I promise. You'll love it, Auntie Molly made it."

Daniel's eyes went wide. "I love Auntie Molly's cakes, she's the best."

Harry ruffled Daniel's hair and said, "You're absolutely right, the best cakes in the world."

Daniel then began a very long narrative about his classmate's mum who made ok cakes, but that paled in comparison to Molly's. The little boy was a couple of months off being six, and his adoration of Harry had never waned from their very first moment of acquaintance.

Before Caleb had been born, Daniel had been a frequent visitor to the estate, and Harry and Severus had often had him for the odd weekend to give Adam and Leada a break. Since Caleb's arrival, those visits hadn't ceased and although Daniel didn't concern himself with a baby too much, he was very sweet with him and never had to be told that he needed to be gentle.

The boy cut himself off in the middle of his rambling story to look up at Harry and say, "Can I go in the library?"

Harry blinked for a moment at this sudden change of topic, then smiled broadly when he realised why Daniel was asking. "Now why would you want to go in the library?"

"Uncle Harry," Daniel groaned. "Please? Please can I go?"

"Are you hoping to read Uncle Severus' big, dusty potions books?"

Daniel scowled at him. "No," he said, crossing his arms.

"Oh, I see," Harry said, giving himself a dramatic smack on the forehead. "How could I forget? You're probably thinking that there might be something in there for you, aren't you?"

Daniel tilted his head in a way that said that that was exactly what he thought, and Harry pretended to think very hard, scratching at his chin and tutting loudly.

"Did I remember to pick it up, I wonder? Perhaps I forgot, maybe I left it in the – "

"Uncle Harry!" Daniel protested loudly, and Harry grinned at him.

"Go on inside," Harry said, finally relenting, earning himself a wide grin. "Let's see how long it takes you to find it!"

Daniel needed no other instruction and sped off inside the house. It was a game they'd played for a couple of years; every time he came to the estate Harry would hide a little present in the library for him and Daniel would have to find it. It was never anything extravagant, but Harry loved spoiling him, and enjoyed teasing him each time by pretending he'd forgotten.

He had gone far too long without a cuddle with his son and so made his way over to his husband, who was now standing with Leada and had been joined by Ginny and Lars.

"Could I have my little pickle back?" he asked Leada, and she handed Caleb over to him with a smile.

"I take it my son remembered to go and raid the library?" she asked as Harry settled his son on his hip, checking the sunscreen charm didn't need renewing.

"He's off hunting as we speak," Harry told her as he nuzzled Caleb's cheek, the little boy giggling contentedly. It never failed to amaze him how much his heart seemed to swell every time he cuddled his son and he knew that Severus felt the same.

It had been the most breath-taking thing to witness his husband fall head over heels in love with their son, and although Severus was demonstrative and affectionate with him, to see him cuddle and play with Caleb had been a revelation. Caleb, for his part, adored the man, and his chubby little face lit up as soon as Severus entered the room. Harry imagined that Severus would have never been the most natural with babies and other people's children, but when it came to his own, he held nothing of himself back, and Harry loved him for it.

"I think perhaps I'll go and make sure he isn't destroying anything," Leada said, giving Caleb's chin a little tickle as she went.

"He's as good as gold," Harry told Ginny and Lars as he shifted Caleb to sit a little more comfortably on his hip. "Honestly, he's a lovely little boy."

"So is this one," said Ginny, reaching out to smooth down Caleb's dark patch of hair. "I can't believe he's one already."

"Mental isn't it?" asked Harry with a grin. "You'd better get used to kids, Gin. You'll be spending the rest of your career with them. You're welcome to take on babysitting duties any time you like."

"Thank you very much but my time is entirely taken up with studying and working. I'm not actually sure I remember my own name half the time."

"Well, if you will choose such a demanding career!" Harry told her, dodging a well-aimed kick she sent his way.

"Speaking of careers," Lars said as he slung an arm around Ginny's shoulders, "have you made a decision yet?" he asked Harry.

Harry and Severus exchanged a glance and Harry allowed Caleb to chew on his thumb for a moment before he said, "I have, I've accepted Daskalov's offer to teach at the Institute."

Lars broke into a wide grin and shook the hand didn't have a one-year-old attached to it. "Congratulations mate, that's brilliant news. I'm so pleased for you."

"Well it's privileged information, only Ron and Draco know, so keep it under your hat ok?"

They spoke for the next half hour about Harry's new position, Lars absolutely thrilled that Harry had finally given in and accepted the offer that Daskalov had been making for years.

Harry couldn't help but be nervous about it. He was starting in a few weeks, in the middle of September, a new academic year. He was going to start by doing a few guest lectures, to ease him in to life as professor, but by the second term it was expected that he would be teaching full-time.

He was also going to be using his association with the Institute to join their research programme. So much was still unknown about Elemental magic and he himself wanted to have a greater understanding of it. He was excited about the prospect of joining with some of the finest minds in the field and he was certain that he would be able to stand up amongst them and contribute his own knowledge.

They were summoned eventually by Marcus, who insisted on Caleb attempting to blow out the candles on his very first birthday cake, the one that Molly had made and that Dan was eyeing as he stood next to Harry. Caleb, of course, was bewildered by the request to extinguish the flame and simply blinked up at the assembled adults as if to ask them what they were all playing at. Dan stoically shouldered the responsibility and blew the candles out for him, grinning up at Harry and saying,

"I made his wish for him too."

"It wouldn't be to have the biggest slice of cake, would it?"

"I can't tell you that, it won't come true!"

Dan, of course, ended up with the biggest slice, much to his mother's dismay, but Molly had made an unbelievably large cake and there was plenty to go around. Afterwards they all sat on blankets on the lawn as the presents were opened, and Harry and Severus were staggered at everyone's generosity, certain their son was the most spoilt child on the planet.

He showed interest in several of the things presented to him, but in the contrary manner of most small children, seemed far more fascinated with the wrapping paper and cardboard packaging that the gifts had come in.

The food and drink continued to flow from the kitchens and as the day turned into evening, Harry allowed himself the pleasure of lounging in one of the recliners on the patio, Caleb sprawled out on his chest, a thumb wedged in his mouth as he gave in to the exhaustion of the day. He closed his eyes and let the noise that permeated through the gardens wash over him, basking in the glow of contentment.

He loved having a house full of people, he loved playing host and having his family around him, being able to surround Caleb with a whole mass of people who were there solely to adore him. The estate was very rarely empty, and its most frequent visitors were Ron and Draco, who would often come and spend the weekend, especially when Draco had some time free from St Mungo's.

He nestled back into the recliner, listening as snatches of conversations breezed past him, feeling Caleb's warm little body pressed against his chest as he snuffled in his sleep. He heard Draco and Ginny discussing their positions at St Mungo's and the Healers who headed up their divisions, comparing notes on who was good at their job and who was a pain in the arse.

He heard the twins moaning to Lars about how hideous wedding planning was, and Lars responding that he had definitely found the right girl in Ginny, who had shown no interest in marriage whatsoever. They had, however, decided to buy a place together, and any spare moment they had was given over to house-hunting, which Lars said was proving a stressful enough endeavour in itself.

Somewhere not too far away, Daniel was getting a piggy-back ride from Charlie, who was pretending to be a dragon. The little boy was fascinated by both Charlie and Bill, and he had spent many an afternoon quizzing them on their jobs and trying to decide who was the cooler of the two brothers.

It had been a revelation for Daniel to be introduced to the Weasleys as Leada and Adam had grown closer to them. Neither of them had large families, both being only children and Leada being largely estranged from hers, apart from Severus. Daniel had absolutely relished the addition of five new uncles and an auntie, as well as the attention from Molly and Arthur, who treated him as an honourary grandchild.

Harry knew that later that night, when it was just the two of them back at the Burrow, Molly and Arthur would each have a glass of the brandy that they saved for only the rarest of moments and would say a toast to Percy. These family gatherings that marked special occasions were always difficult for them and they felt their son's loss keenly. They kept their grief private and did their best not to show it in front of others, but Harry knew how hard it was for them both.

Eventually, the guests began to leave in dribs and drabs and Harry left Caleb to Ron and Draco as he did his part as host and bade them all farewell. It was nearly an hour later when he retreated to the kitchen to find that Caleb was wide awake again, sitting in Ron's lap and chewing a crust of toast.

"I was just about to put on a pot of tea," Severus said as he moved the kettle to the range cooker, "do you want a cup?"

"I'd love one," said Harry tiredly as he took a seat at the breakfast bar across from Ron, smiling at his son as the little boy reached out as Draco offered him Barney, his favourite teddy bear. "Well then come on you two, out with it," he said, crossing his arms and watching as the two men grinned at each other.

"Out with what?" Draco asked, affecting an air of innocence.

"You two have been fit to burst all day, there's something you want to tell us so come on."

Severus moved over to the bar bearing the tea tray, setting it down and winding his arm around Harry's shoulders as Harry lay his head against him.

"Well," Ron said, looking at Draco, both men looking as though all their Christmases had come at once, "we've just had it confirmed that Rebecca's pregnant, we're going to be fathers!"

Harry was on his feet in an instant as he and Severus exchanged hugs with both men, congratulating them soundly, feeling their joy almost as palpably as they did.

"This is such amazing news," Harry said as he released Draco from a tight hug while Severus stood with his hand on Ron's shoulder. "I'm so thrilled for you."

"Thanks," Ron said with a grin. "She's only a month along though, so we're not telling anyone else until she gets to twelve weeks. The baby's due in March."

Harry clasped a hand to his mouth and said with wide eyes, "We're going through the process with Beth again for Benji. She's not pregnant yet but it could be any day now, they could be born around the same time! This is so brilliant!"

Severus smiled and said, "You two are going to be wonderful parents. Caleb adores you, and you've had great practice with him."

Draco grinned and took his godson from Ron, smattering him with kisses and saying, "If ours is as well-behaved as this one, we'll have no problem."

Harry snorted and said, "Oh yes, he was terribly easy for the first seven months of his life when he decided that sleep was for wimps. I really hope he's one of those teenagers that sleep in til noon – I'm going to crash into his room at 6am every morning banging pots and pans and get him back for every sleepless night."

It was Severus' turn to snort, and he did so before saying, "The day you get up at 6am we'll know you've lost your mind."

Harry and Severus fell to bickering while Ron and Draco took sides, Ron, as usual, on Severus'. The evening passed in much the same way, all four, plus Caleb, migrating into the living room eventually to while away the time in lazy conversation.

It was two months later when Harry and Severus received a letter from Ron written in amusingly shaky handwriting. Harry read it first, emitting a startled gasp followed by a burst of laughter before he handed it over to Severus who scanned it quickly before looking up at Harry with an expression of disbelief.

There on the parchment in his hand was one simple sentence:

_We've just had the twelve-week scan. It's twins. Fucking hell._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I'm having so much fun writing these! I hope you're enjoying them, please let me know.


	4. A Helping Hand

A Helping Hand

Severus scanned the bookshelves in his study, looking for the tome he needed to support the theory he was putting forward in his latest article for the potions journal he contributed to. It was a solid argument, but he wanted to preface it with a reference from one of his favourite researchers in the area, but the book he needed wasn't where it ought to be.

He sighed and cursed his husband, whose fault it no doubt was. Harry liked to re-organise things, especially when he was in one of his productive moods, and he was constantly moaning about the fact that Severus didn't have a proper filing system and that he ordered his books haphazardly.

He may well have done, but _he_ knew where everything was, which was the most important thing, but Harry didn't seem to agree with this and was forever stepping into Severus' study and 'improving' things. When the man returned home later that day, Severus was going to let him know just how unwelcome his interference was.

"I hope you said a proper goodbye to your father when he left this morning," Severus said, turning to address Caleb who was sitting happily in his playpen in the corner of the room, "because I'm going to kill him when he gets back."

Caleb giggled at him and continued to bash away at the building blocks he was using. "Dada," he said, and Severus smiled at him, abandoning his search for the book and moving over to his son.

"You have no idea how pleased I am that you learnt to say that before 'Papa'. Your father was livid."

He leant over and scooped Caleb up into his arms, peppering him with kisses and nuzzling his long nose into the little boy's cheek. At just over 18 months, Caleb was growing fast, and Severus couldn't believe that he had once been the tiny little bundle that they had brought home from the hospital.

He was now walking unaided and tried to string little sentences together. He could identify objects, ask for things he needed and was beginning to understand that words worked better than noises when it came to trying to communicate with the adults around him. Severus, of course, was convinced that his son was more advanced than most children his age and had even taken to administering little aptitude tests to determine that this was the case.

Harry was horrified and had accused him of treating their son like a science experiment. The tests had ceased, but Severus continued to maintain that Caleb was further along in his development than most his age, which only earnt him many laboured eye-rolls from his husband.

"Shall we go and see if we can find your favourite book, my little monster?" Severus asked.

"Book, story," Caleb said and Severus' face lit up in a smile.

"That's right sweetheart, story. See, much cleverer than most children."

He was about to leave the library when he heard the roar of the fireplace and Ron's head appeared in the flames.

"Sev? Sev are you there?"

The man sounded frantic and Severus sidestepped the playpen to stand in front of the fire and look down at his friend. Even through the flames he could see that Ron looked shattered but even so, his eyes were slightly wild.

"What's the matter?" he asked him as Caleb cooed happily at seeing his godfather.

"Uncky Won," he said, reaching out towards the fireplace to try and get to him.

"Hello pup," Ron said with a tired smile. "Sev, could you come over, _now_ ," Ron added, a slight edge of hysteria to his voice.

"Is something wrong?" Severus asked, doing his best to stop his son from sticking his hand in the fire.

"I just…things are…look will you please just get here?" Ron asked, and Severus felt that it would be unwise to question the situation further.

"Very well, stand aside then and I'll floo through. I'll have to bring Caleb with me, Harry's not here."

"Fine, fine. Just come over."

Ron's head disappeared, as did the flames, and Severus stepped into the fireplace, grabbing a pinch of floo powder and clutching Caleb tightly.

"Sycamore Cottage," he intoned clearly, and half a moment later he and Caleb were standing in the living room of Ron and Draco's home.

Now that he was face to face with Ron he could see that the man was still wearing his pyjamas, which looked as though someone had been sick on them, and his hair was in disarray. He looked wide-eyed and Severus wondered if perhaps he had become slightly unhinged.

"What on earth's happened to you?"

"It's…it's the babies," Ron said, whispering as though worried they would hear them.

"What's wrong with them? Are they ok?" Severus asked, casting his eye around the living room but finding it absent the twins.

Ron gave a slightly maniacal laugh and said, "Oh _they're_ fine, they're better than I am!"

"Ok, perhaps you should take a couple of deep breaths and tell me what's wrong," Severus said, wondering if it might be prudent to sedate his friend.

"I can't do this, it's too much. Draco's gone back to work and it's my first time alone with them. It's just…Sev…there's _two_ of them," he said earnestly, and Severus couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"It's my understanding that that's usually the way with twins."

"It's not bloody funny," Ron growled. "I have shit in my hair!" he all but shrieked.

Severus glanced upward at the red mop and said with his nose wrinkled in distaste, "How on earth did you manage that?"

"Have you ever tried to change two nappies at once? Nappies that have been filled with something that could have only been produced in the bowels of hell!"

Severus did his best to stifle the laughter that threatened to force itself out his throat and transfigured a nearby foot-stool into a playpen. He settled Caleb into it and pressed a kiss to his son's head, saying, "Just stay there for a moment while I go and help Uncle Ron."

He looked back up to Ron and said, "Well come on then, let's sort this out."

Ron looked relieved and led Severus into the kitchen where the twins, who were only a month old, were on the kitchen floor in a protective charm. Both children were naked and covered head-to-toe in what Severus knew all too well to be excrement. He and Harry had had several experiences with Exploding Nappy Syndrome, and the day Caleb had moved onto to solid foods had been a day they had both marked on the calendar.

"Oh dear," Severus said, looking down at his godchildren, both of whom were crying their eyes out and looking faintly murderous.

"See?" Ron all but shrieked. "How am I supposed to deal with _that_? It's all well and good to change their nappies but I only have one pair of hands! I settle one down and try and sort them out and the other starts rolling over and I'm terrified they'll suffocate! There isn't enough of me to go around."

Severus reversed the charm and said, "Hand me a couple of damp cloths then get the baby baths out and fill them with warm water."

Ron looked overjoyed to be given an instruction and Severus soon had the damp cloths in his hand. He knelt down on the floor next to the babies and began to gently dab away the worst of the mess while Ron set about bringing the baby baths over and filling them up.

"There we go," he said softly, cleaning Teddy, who was by far in a worse state than his sister. "Bring a couple of towels over too, and have clean nappies and a clean set of clothing ready to put them into," he told Ron and the man blinked at him for a moment as if he would never have thought of being so prepared before bathing the children.

He disappeared from the kitchen and Severus shook his head in amusement, even as he felt a pang of sympathy for his friend. He remembered what these early days were like, and he was in for it all over again as Beth had only a month left to go in her pregnancy, and Benji would be with them soon. He remembered how difficult it was, how overwhelming and terrifying everything felt, and he knew that it was quite literally double the work with twins.

Ron reappeared and set everything down next to the baths, then looked up at Severus, slightly wide-eyed, waiting for the next instruction.

"Right, you grab Megan and I'll grab Teddy," Severus said, and Ron did as he was told, scooping up his daughter who was now much cleaner than she had been minutes before.

They immersed the babies in the water and held them gently as they bathed their tiny little bodies. They had both been small when they were born, not unusual for twins, and had lost a little more weight after they had left the hospital, but they were starting to fill out nicely now.

Even at a month old, it was obvious how different the two babies were physically. Megan had a longer face and dark blue eyes, while Teddy's face was rounder and his eyes were brown. Megan, generally speaking, was a fairly content little baby, while Teddy enjoyed giving his lungs a good workout and demanded more of his parents' attention.

Severus scooped the water carefully over Teddy, holding him almost horizontal, supporting his head with one hand. He had given up wailing now but kept emitting little bursts of displeasure, fixing Severus with a glare that rivalled the man's own. He was a feisty little monster, and Severus couldn't help but feel a slight pang of favouritism where his godson was concerned.

"Am I doing this right?" Ron asked, and Severus looked over to him.

"You're doing fine," he said gently, "just calm down a little. She'll be able to sense that you're agitated and it'll make her nervous."

Ron nodded and continued to dab a flannel carefully over his daughter, taking care not to splash her face with water. He was remarkably gentle, and Severus thought that Ron was handling the little girl as though she might break. He remembered the feeling well; for the first few weeks of Caleb's life he had treated his son as though he was made of glass, terrified that he was holding him incorrectly or picking him up wrong.

"There we go," he said softly to Teddy, who was looking a little less resentful. He lifted the baby out of the water and on to the waiting towel, Ron doing the same with Megan.

They dried them off, put them in fresh nappies and clean clothes and Severus scooped Teddy up into his arms, whispering nonsense endearments as he balanced him on his shoulder and gave his back a soothing rub.

"Levitate the Moses baskets back into the living room and bring Megan with you," Severus instructed, rising carefully to his feet, still balancing Teddy, and moving back into the living room.

He checked on Caleb, who was still sitting happily in the playpen and who looked up with interest as he saw his father come back in the room carrying Teddy.

"Who's this?" Severus asked, lowering the baby so his son could see him. "You'd better get used to babies, sweetheart, your brother will be making his appearance soon."

Caleb peered over the side of the playpen and looked at Teddy with a smile, reaching his chubby little hand out to try and grab at him. Severus smiled and pressed a kiss to his son's head before moving back over to Ron, who was kneeling on the floor placing Megan in her Moses basket. Severus placed Teddy in the basket next to hers then looked across at Ron, who still looked as though one wrong word might tip him over the edge.

He laid a hand gently on the man's shoulder and said, "Why don't you go and get a shower and put some clean clothes on? I'll look after these two."

Gratitude flooded Ron's features and he clasped the hand on his shoulder, saying, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Severus said with a smile. "We'll be fine."

Ron didn't need telling twice, and with a quick glance at both his children, he scooted up the stairs more quickly than Severus had ever seen him move.

"You two have been giving your father a hard time," Severus said, looking down at his godchildren. "It's not really fair, is it? There's two of you and only one of him, maybe you should think about giving him a break every now and again."

For the next half an hour, Severus sat in the living room, reading a story to Caleb while he kept an eye on the twins. Megan soon drifted off to sleep while Teddy decided that his time was better spent awake, looking up at Severus, who was perched on the armchair above him, Caleb settled on his lap. It amused Severus just how suspicious Teddy managed to look while gazing up at him, and he was sure that no one-month-old was as capable of the myriad of facial expressions that Teddy seemed to have mastered.

He was about to resort to making up stories of his own, as he had run out of the children's books that Draco and Ron kept at their house for Caleb's amusement, when Ron came back down the stairs, looking a lot more human. He moved over to the baskets and checked on the babies, picking Teddy up for a cuddle when he saw that his son was still awake.

He transferred the baby to his shoulder and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before he opened them and looked down at Severus.

"I don't know how to thank you," he said in a whisper.

"Oh Ron, don't be stupid, you've nothing to thank me for," Severus said, shaking his head.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Sev. I'm getting everything wrong, I'm a terrible father."

Severus sighed and put Caleb back in the transfigured playpen before moving over to stand opposite Ron. "I never want to hear you say that again," he said gently but firmly. "You are a good father and I have every faith in you. I know no one with a greater capacity for love or loyalty than you, and you're going to be the best dad in the world to these two."

"How can you say that? I'm a mess!" Ron said, trying to keep his voice even so as not to upset Teddy.

"What new parent isn't?" Severus said with an exasperated laugh. "Harry and I were completely lost when Caleb was first born, we didn't have a clue what we were doing. If it hadn't been for your mother I don't think we would have coped." Severus paused for a second before he asked carefully, "Why haven't you asked her for help?"

Ron bit his lip for a second and absent-mindedly stroked Teddy's back. "I didn't want her to know that I'm struggling, I didn't want anyone to know. You're the only one that I'd trust to…"

Ron waved his hand in a vague gesture as he trailed off, turning around and taking a seat on the sofa. He transferred Teddy carefully so he was lying in his lap, his head cushioned on his knees, looking down at his son, who still looked faintly wary about what was happening around him.

Severus took a seat next to him and slowly wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders. He sometimes wondered at the ease with which he slipped into these tactile displays these days, and he could only conclude that since falling in love with Harry he had gone utterly soft. He resembled very little of the man he once was, and there was no part of him that wasn't grateful for that.

A few years ago, he would never have imagined that he would one day be happily married with one son and another on the way. He had resigned himself to a life of loneliness, should he, by some miracle, survive the war, and to find that he now had a family, and an extended one to boot, was sometimes more than his brain could process.

"There's no shame in struggling," he told Ron gently. "This is one of the hardest things in the world, and I'll have words with anyone who tries to tell me any different. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone feels as though they're doing everything wrong, but these two are happy and healthy. You're doing just fine."

Ron heaved a heavy sigh and let Teddy latch hold of his finger. "It's just…with it being the two of them…it's hard to cope with them both on my own. I'm still finding my feet with this whole baby thing and it just feels twice as hard while they double-team me. You have to believe me Sev, I love them to pieces and I love being a dad, but I just don't know that I'm doing it very well."

Severus gave his shoulders a squeeze, understanding just how the man felt. "How does it sound to you if I offered to come over for a few hours every day, just until you find your feet?"

Ron tilted his head to meet Severus' eyes, looking faintly bewildered. "You'd do that?" he asked quietly.

"Of course. Benji won't be along for another month yet, so I'd make use of my services while you can if I were you."

"Oh Sev, I'd be so grateful. You don't know how much I need help. If you hadn't have come over today I don't know what I'd have done. Draco would have probably come home to find the children had been put into care!"

"Don't be so ridiculous," Severus scoffed.

Teddy gargled loudly and both men looked down at him in time to see him smile up at Ron with a gummy little grin.

"He hasn't smiled before!" Ron said, his own face lighting up with a smile, the dark circles beneath his eyes seeming to diminish with the warmth of the expression. "Oh Teddy, aren't you a gorgeous boy?" he said, leaning forward to blow raspberries against his son's cheek. Teddy continued to grin up at his father and the tension seemed to melt out of Ron's body as he realised that the boy didn't seem to hold the morning's events against him.

"See?" Severus said softly. "No harm done. All you can do is take one day at a time and deal with each catastrophe as it comes. It's never as dire as you think, I promise."

Ron looked back up at him and nodded, a faint set of resolve in his features. "Thank you," he said with a tired smile.

"Any time, Ron, any time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I just love those two, they give me such happy feelings : )
> 
> I can't escape twins, it seems. My husband is a twin, and his sister has just given birth to twins, so I'm sure she'd by sympathetic to Ron's plight!


	5. Benji

Benji

"Someone very special is waiting for you inside, pickle," Harry told his son as they stood outside the front door of their home. "Daddy's brought Benji home from the hospital, and you're going to meet your little brother."

He had just returned from picking Caleb up from Ron and Draco's, as they had been looking after him after Beth went into labour and he and Severus went to the hospital to finally meet their second-born son. Severus had taken Benji home while he fetched Caleb and now he was standing outside, Caleb balanced on his hip as he prepared the little boy to meet his brother.

Harry was feeling rather overwhelmed by the events of the past 24 hours, and he felt as though his feet had yet to touch the ground. He now had both his boys, the things he had seen in his future were now really here and both Caleb and Ben were real people rather than just vague shadows in his mind.

"Are you ready sweetheart? Shall we go in and meet Ben?"

"Go meet Ben," Caleb repeated, and Harry grinned happily. Caleb was just a couple of months shy of turning two, and Harry had high hopes that he was going to be a spectacular big brother.

Harry shouldered the door open and carried Caleb inside, placing him down in the hallway and saying, "Go find Daddy, is he in the living room?"

Caleb began to toddle off, Harry walking close behind him in case he took a sudden tumble. He was walking fairly well but it was becoming very obvious that he was perhaps the clumsiest child in existence, and Harry and Severus were constantly having to ensure that their son didn't break his neck or injure any other part of his anatomy.

Caleb waddled into the living room and Harry followed, his heart skipping happily as he saw Severus sitting on the sofa with Benji in his arms. He was smaller than Caleb had been when he was born and looked absolutely tiny wrapped up in Severus' hold.

"Who's this then?" Severus asked, holding out his hand towards Caleb. The little boy reached out and grabbed it and scrambled up on the sofa next to his father, snuggling into his side, having obviously missed him being away from him for the night.

Harry smiled and came to sit next to them, peering over at his youngest son who was sound asleep.

"My Ben, Pa?" Caleb asked, turning to look at Harry and pointing back to his brother.

"Yes sweetheart, that's Ben," Harry said with a grin, hoisting Caleb up to sit in his lap. "This is your little brother."

"Shall we keep him?" Severus asked, and Caleb seemed to seriously consider the question as his eyes raked over the bundle in his father's arms. He was used to babies now as the twins were a little over 2-months-old and Severus always took him with him when he went over to give Ron a hand.

He understood that he had to be gentle, that these funny pink, wriggly things were fragile and not to be played with. He looked up at Severus and nodded, earning himself an amused smile in response.

"You like him then?" Severus asked, and Caleb nodded again, apparently captivated by his baby brother.

"Are you going to help me and Daddy look after him, sweetheart?" Harry asked, and Caleb turned to look at his father, smiling up at him.

"Look after Ben?" the little boy repeated. "Baby Ben."

"Yes love, Baby Ben," Harry said with a smile as Caleb clapped his hands together and resumed staring at his brother.

Caleb, apparently, had very specific ideas about what being a big brother entailed. During his waking hours, he refused to let Benji out of his sight and hovered at Harry and Severus' side whenever they had the baby in their arms. Harry had remarked, on more than one occasion, that he rather thought Caleb didn't trust either one of his parents to properly look after his brother, and had made it his job to supervise them wherever possible.

It seemed to Harry that his eldest son had jumped ahead in years in the space of a week. The idea of being a big brother seemed to propel him into more independence and, after seeing that his newborn baby brother was in nappies, Caleb very firmly decided that he shouldn't be anymore.

So, Harry and Severus found themselves juggling a newborn baby coupled with an almost 2-year-old who was determined to be potty-trained and out of nappies as soon as possible.

"I'm almost certain this is your fault," Harry told Severus as he mopped up the evidence of yet another one of Caleb's accidents while his husband warmed a bottle up for Benji.

"How on earth did you come to that conclusion?" Severus asked, walking over to the Moses basket and looking down at his youngest son, who was blinking up sleepily up at his father.

"He's inherited it from you," Harry replied, levitating all the mess into the waiting bin. "This precocious need to be one step ahead of everyone else. He's always been early in his development – "

"Ah so you finally admit it!" Severus said, turning to face Harry with a triumphant glint in his eye. "All those times I said that Caleb was ahead of most other children his age and you just scoffed at me."

"No, my love," Harry said, hands on his hips, "what I said was that I would really prefer it if you would stop treating our son like a science experiment and administering aptitude tests."

"I still maintain that if you'd have let me continue we'd have solid proof by now," Severus replied, turning his attention back to his son. He scooped the baby out of the basket and into the crook of his arm, hardly believing that Caleb had once been small enough to do this with.

Benji was a much quieter baby than his brother had been and seemed to value sleep much more highly than Caleb had done. Severus supposed it was always bound to be easier the second time around, regardless. He and Harry were much more relaxed than they had been with Caleb. They were surer of themselves as parents and knew now that every little cry or snuffle didn't mean the end of the world.

"There we go," said Draco, as he came back into the room with Caleb balanced on his hip. "All cleaned up and in a new pair of big boy pants."

"Thanks Drake," Harry grinned at him as the blond settled himself down on the sofa with his godson. "Sweetheart, you need to remember to tell us when you need to go ok?" Harry told his son as he perched on the arm of Severus' chair and looked down as his husband held Benji in his arms and gave him his bottle.

"Forgot," Caleb said as he reached up to tug at Draco's hair, one of his favourite pastimes. "Where Uncky Ron?" he asked.

"He's with Teddy and Megan sweetheart, he's taken them to see Gran and Gramps," Draco told his godson, not surprised when Caleb's eyes widened and the little boy said,

"Biscuits from Gran?"

Draco and Harry laughed at the same time and Draco blew a raspberry against Caleb's cheek as he said, "Not this time love. I'll bring some over at the weekend when we have your birthday party."

Caleb clapped his hands and bounced up and down on Draco's lap happily as he said, "Presents."

"You learnt that quickly enough didn't you? Trouble is, you think all birthday parties mean presents for you. Don't think I haven't forgotten that you opened all mine a couple of months ago!"

Draco continued to blow raspberries against the little boy's cheek while ticking his stomach gently, Caleb squirming and giggling, fighting to get away. Draco finally relented and let his godson get away, and Caleb ran to Harry's legs and clung on, still laughing as he caught his breath.

"I'll come and get you," Draco threatened, waggling his fingers towards the boy.

"No Uncky Drake!" Caleb laughed as he held on to Harry's legs. "Pa, make stop!"

"Don't worry my love, I'll protect you," Harry said with a smile as he hauled his son up onto his lap.

"Bad Uncky Drake," Caleb said, sticking his tongue out at his godfather, who laughed in response. Caleb snuggled into Harry's lap and used his vantage point to look down at his brother who was nestled in Severus' arms. "Ben hungry?" he asked.

"He's having his lunch sweetheart," Harry said, looking down at his youngest son with a smile. Benji looked so much like him it was uncanny, and Harry could easily see the teenager from his vision that the little boy would one day grow into.

Caleb reached out his little hand tapped carefully at the bottle in Severus' hand. "Not hot, Dada," he said, and Harry and Severus shared an amused smirk. Caleb had been listening very carefully to everything they had said regarding his brother over the last two and a half months, and he had decided that it was his responsibility to ensure that every bottle Benji was given was the perfect temperature.

"It's just right," Severus told his son as he inclined his head to look at him. "You're doing a very good job sweetheart."

Caleb beamed at his father, then quickly turned his head towards the fire as a loud whoosh signalled someone's arrival.

"Uncky Ron!" Caleb cried happily, scooting off Harry's lap as his other godfather stepped through the flames, two travel carriers bearing the twins in his hands.

"Hello Pup!" said Ron enthusiastically as Caleb hugged his shins. Draco moved from the sofa to take the carriers from Ron's hands as he greeted his husband with a kiss.

"I thought you'd be at your mum's for ages yet," he said, placing the carriers down and kneeling beside them to say hello to his son and daughter. As usual, Megan was sleeping soundly while Teddy was bright-eyed and taking in the world around him, his face lighting up in a gummy smile when he focused on his father.

"I couldn't cope with any more advice on rearing twins," Ron said with a sigh as he hauled Caleb up for a kiss and a cuddle. "Honestly, my children are not Fred and George!"

"I don't know," said Harry, stealing a glance across at Draco who was unclipping Teddy from the carrier, "Ted's certainly got a few of their qualities, I reckon we're going to have to watch him."

"There's a terrifying thought," Ron said with a shudder as he released Caleb and the little boy shuffled over to peer into Megan's carrier.

"Meggie 'sleep," he said, looking up at Draco who had a very lively Teddy in his arms.

At nearly 5-months-old, the twins were growing fast, and were now very easily discernible from one another. Caleb's protective streak stretched to both of them, and he felt it was his responsibility to guard them as well as his brother. He was very wary of anyone outside the family going near them, and he had been referred to as a 'terrier' on more than once occasion because of it.

"Let's have a cuddle," Ron said, moving over to take Benji from Severus, who had just finished winding him. "Hello gorgeous," Ron said with a smile.

"Hello," Severus replied with a smirk, and Ron grinned at him in response.

"Hello to you too of course, I didn't think it was prudent to use our pet names for one another in front of our husbands. Wait til we're alone."

Harry and Draco merely rolled their eyes at one another and shared the usual look they employed when their spouses carried on in such a way. Severus and Ron's 'affair' was a running joke in the family, and everyone in the extended family had adopted it too, much to Ron's delight.

"Uncky Ron, careful," Caleb said, scooting over to tug on Ron's trouser leg as the man shifted Benji up to lay against his shoulder.

Ron smiled down at the little boy and said, "Don't worry Pup, I will be. I used to hold you when you were this tiny, now you just use me as a climbing frame," he added as Caleb latched on to Ron's leg, giggling into the fabric of his trousers.

Teddy started to fuss and Draco rolled his eyes, immediately walking over to Severus and handing his son over to the man without a word. Teddy immediately settled down and beamed up at the man, reaching up and clenching a fist around a lock of the man's black hair.

It was very obvious to the family exactly who Teddy's favourite person was, and Severus hardly hid the fact that the sentiment was returned. It was well known that only Severus could soothe Teddy's more fractious moods, and the little boy's face lit up every time he saw the man.

Harry looked at the assembled group in his living room and a grin spread across as he said, "Whose children are whose again?"

Ron smiled as he held Ben, Caleb still clutching onto his leg, while Severus continued to conjure small sparks to entertain Teddy. It was a very familiar scene; the four children spent so much time with the four adults that they all interchanged between one another very comfortably.

The doorbell suddenly rang noisily and Harry smiled as he realised yet another regular guest had arrived. He left the living room and went to answer it, finding Leada and Daniel standing outside, Daniel grinning up at him, a rucksack slung over his shoulder.

"Hi Uncle Harry," he said, moving forward and flinging his arms around Harry's waist.

"Hello my little monster," Harry said, returning the hug, whilst leaning forward to greet Leada with a kiss to her cheek. "How big is that rucksack? Just how long do you think you're staying for?"

Daniel laughed and said, "As long as you'll let me."

"Anyone would think he had a terrible home life," Leada said, rolling her eyes. "I must dash Harry, we're going to see Adam's aunt and I've a million things to do before we leave. Thanks for having Dan," she said, giving her son a quick squeeze before he moved into the house.

"My pleasure. Will we see you at Caleb's party on Saturday?"

"Yes of course, wouldn't miss it for the world! I'll see you then, you be good for your uncles, Dan!"

"I'm always good," Daniel said in mild affront before his mother apparated from the spot. "Aren't I?" he said, looking up at Harry.

"Mostly," Harry answered with a wry smile, placing an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, everyone's in the living room."

"You mean all the babies?" asked Daniel, looking slightly put out. He was a few months shy of being seven and was deeply unimpressed by all the children that kept appearing in the family, none of whom were old enough to play with.

It had become tradition for him to spend at least a week of his summer holidays at Harry and Severus' and while he took with good grace the fact that there were now two little ones for his uncles to attend to, occasionally he would sulk about it.

"Look who I found," Harry said, steering Daniel into the living room.

"Hello everyone," Daniel said cheerfully as the three men turned and greeted him, Draco, the only one who didn't have an armful of baby, moving to wrap him up in a big hug.

Caleb relinquished Ron's shins to shuffle unsteadily over to Daniel, tripping on the way over, caught by Daniel's steadying hand.

"You're so clumsy," Daniel told him as he knelt down and held the toddler gently in place. "I had to stop you from walking into the fridge last time."

"Dan," Caleb said with a smile, then turned to point to Ron, who still had Benji snuggled against his shoulder. "Ben, my Ben," he said, pointing to his chest proudly. "Baby."

"I know, Pup," said Daniel, adopting the same nickname that Ron used for Caleb.

For all Daniel complained about the children that surrounded him, he was very good with them. He was gentle and patient, and always entertained Caleb when the little toddler wobbled over to him. Caleb, in turn, always sought Dan out, and Harry had even found them once curled up in the library, Caleb snuggled up to Dan as Dan read to him.

"Dan hold," Caleb said, indicating that he wanted Dan to hold Benji.

Daniel shook his head and said, "I'd rather not, Pup. I might drop him. Still, if Uncle Ron manages, then it can't be that difficult," he added with a cheeky grin.

"Little monster," Ron said good-naturedly as he handed Benji back to Severus, who balanced both him and Teddy on his lap, then moved to stalk Daniel, wiggling his fingers at the boy to indicate that a tickle war was imminent.

"No Uncle Ron!" Daniel shouted with a laugh, abandoning Caleb after making sure he wouldn't fall over and running out of the living room, Ron close on his heels.

The house descended into chaos as Ron and Harry both took to pursuing Dan, while Draco joined in and took his side, laughter and shouts ringing out throughout the halls.

Severus looked down at Caleb, who had moved to practically sit on his feet, and said with a quirk of his eyebrow, "How does it feel to be the most mature person in the house besides your father?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we are, both boys are with us now. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know.


	6. Sundays

Sundays

Sunday had always been Severus' favourite day. Once upon a time, when he had been unmarried, when Harry was still 'Potter' in his mind, a thorn in his side on a good day, the bane of his existence on worse ones, Sundays were a time for quiet isolation in his quarters, followed by an intense session of brewing. He had enjoyed the fact that his presence wasn't required in the Great Hall, or in any other part of the castle, and he had delighted in shutting his door and leaving it that way until the following Monday morning.

After he had married Harry and had had to suffer the boy's presence in his quarters, Sundays had slowly started to become the time that Harry would assist him in his brewing. Looking back, it had helped him to acclimatise himself to Harry's presence, both in his life and in his home, and slowly he had come to enjoy having Harry working with him in relative harmony. They had developed a rhythm, and Severus had spent those early Sundays in their marriage getting to know the boy, finding himself appreciative of his help and, to his unending bafflement, finding that he actually liked the boy.

As time went on, and their marriage started to become less and less of a sham, weekends were spent up at the shell of the estate Severus found himself unwittingly inheriting. Sundays then started to consist of waking up leisurely on their battered old mattress in the study, seemingly getting closer and closer to waking up in each other's arms as the weeks went on. After that, they would have a quick breakfast and continue with the work to turn the shell of a house into a home.

Severus looked back on that time with immeasurable fondness. It had been then that he had begun to spend more time with Ron, and had started to really enjoy the redhead's company, seeing a different side to him that the classroom would have never afforded him. He had grown closer and closer to Harry with each visit, and had found that the practical action of restoring and renovating the house was more enjoyable than he would have ever imagined it to be. He liked having something to share with his husband, something that no one else could interfere with or take away from them, and the estate had become a secure little bubble for them both, an escape from the insanity that continued to press down on them.

After the war, and before they were parents, Sundays were devoted solely to themselves. Their home now finished and very much lived in, they would wake up wrapped around one another and one would slowly tease the other into fully waking. They would slowly and sleepily make love to one another, savouring each other's bodies and taking time and care to nurture the deep bond that existed between them. Afterwards, a languid joint shower was enjoyed before they sauntered down to the kitchen and enjoyed breakfast over the morning papers and a pot of coffee.

After the children came along, Sundays had a different meaning altogether. When Caleb was a newborn, and still felt that sleeping could be attended to when he was dead, Sunday mornings often found Severus and Harry exhausted and worn out, lying in bed with Caleb between them, one trying to catch up on sleep while the other watched over their son. A couple of years later with Caleb a toddler and Benji a newborn, Sundays were still spent in much the same way, with one of them cradling Benji and the other trying to stop an accident-prone toddler from taking a tumble off the bed.

After those first few years navigating nappies, bottles, tantrums and screaming fits that seemed to last for days, Sundays began to work themselves into a gentler rhythm once again. By the time Benji was four and Caleb was six, Sunday mornings found both boys barrelling into bed with their parents, while Dobby brought up a couple of breakfast trays from the kitchen and all four sat bunched up in the covers while breakfast was consumed messily and with much complaint about crumbs in the bed.

Caleb and Benji would treat both their parents as glorified climbing frames, and invariably Severus found himself trying to manoeuvre a piece of toast into his mouth while Caleb shuffled onto his lap and Benji wrapped his arms around his neck and asked him to read one of his favourite stories.

"Dad! Put the paper away, it's boring," Caleb said as Harry handed him a piece of toast with carefully sliced pieces of banana on top. Caleb wouldn't eat it unless there were four slices on each piece, and of course, each slice had to be the same size.

"At least one of us should be aware of what's going on in the world around us," Severus replied, reaching for the croissant that was hovering on the plate next to his elbow and taking a small bite.

"Can I have some?" Caleb asked, dropping his banana toast on his plate and eyeing Severus' breakfast.

"No," Severus told him, taking a bite and placing the croissant back on the plate.

"Dad," Caleb whined, scrambling over his brother and into his father's lap, scrunching up the maligned newspaper in the process. "Please, yours looks nicer than mine."

"Then you should have asked Dobby for one, shouldn't you?" Severus asked his son, restraining him from reaching across and grabbing the croissant that he had only been able to take one bite of so far. He didn't know why he was bothering, he couldn't remember the last time he had been allowed to finish his own food. Caleb was always convinced that someone else had a better deal than he did, and so his own food always went uneaten whilst he went foraging around everyone else's plates.

"Just a bite," Caleb negotiated.

"With a mouth that big? I don't think so," Severus replied, trying to wrench the newspaper out from underneath his son, giving up when all he succeeded in doing was to tear it in half.

"I don't have a big mouth!" Caleb said indignantly, looking to Harry to back him up. "Pa! Dad said I have a bit mouth!"

"You have a lovely mouth, Pickle," Harry said absent-mindedly as he tried to read through his teaching notes for the next day while dodging Benji's hands, which were covered in marmalade. "Ben sweetie, has any of that marmalade gone on your toast?"

"It got a bit messy," Benji replied, looking at his hands with a frown.

Harry smiled and reached over for his wand, casting a quick cleaning charm and hauling Benji onto his lap. "We're going to have to start calling you Paddington, you must be made of marmalade by now," he said as he wrapped an arm around his son while continuing to try to read his notes.

"I like it," Benji said, picking up his discarded piece of toast and licking the marmalade off the top. "I like Gran's the best though, it's nicer than this."

Harry snorted into the little boy's hair and said, "Sorry your Highness, it's just the stuff from the village shop. You'll have to make do until we see Gran next weekend."

"Gran's stuff is always the best," Caleb said matter-of-factly, halting his campaign for Severus' croissant in the process. "Uncle Ron makes the best breakfasts, and your cooking's nice Pa, but everything Gran makes is yummy."

"Well, thanks for saying my food is 'nice'," Harry said, exchanging an amused look with his husband. "I suppose that's high praise from you. Ben love, no sticky paws all over my notes please," Harry said, turning his attention back to Benji, who was trying to see what Harry was reading, and getting a fresh coating of marmalade over the papers in the process.

"Dad can I have some cwostant now?" Caleb asked Severus, not having been distracted sufficiently enough to forget his original mission.

"And what will I have for breakfast if you eat it, mm?" Severus asked as Caleb continued to shuffle further onto his lap in an effort to get closer to the hovering plate.

"I'll share," Caleb said magnanimously.

"Oh very generous," Severus scoffed, wrapping his arms around Caleb's slim waist and giving him a gentle squeeze, both to stop him grabbing the plate and for the excuse to give his son a cuddle. "Eat your own breakfast you little terror."

"Why don't you eat mine and I'll eat yours?" Caleb asked, trying to negotiate different terms.

"I don't like banana."

"Yes you do Dad," Benji said, looking over at him. "You always eat my porridge when I have 'nana in it so I don't have to and Pa thinks I eat it all."

"Oh really?" asked Harry, looking over at his husband with a smirk.

"You and I need to have a word about keeping secrets, Ben," Severus told his youngest son with a mock frown that only served to amuse the little boy as he chuckled into another mouthful of toast.

"Well then, you can have my banana toast and I can have your cwostant," Caleb said, pleased with his solution.

"You can have it if you can say it properly," Severus said as Caleb shifted and wound his arms around his father's neck.

"Cwostant," Caleb repeated.

"Try again," Severus instructed.

"Dad! You're being so mean!" Caleb said with a huff, throwing himself down in Severus' lap and eyeing the croissant wistfully.

"Oh isn't life hard?" Severus teased, burying his noise and Caleb's black hair and nuzzling his son's head. "Uh oh," he said, tightening his hold on his son, "I think my fingers have been hit with the tickle spell again!"

"No Dad!" Caleb exclaimed, squirming to try and get away. "Not the tickle spell again!"

"They have! My fingers need to tickle something!"

"No!" Caleb shrieked as Severus began to tickle his stomach and his ribs, rolling him into the centre of the bed and pinning him gently as he attacked him. "Dad! Stop it, stop!" Caleb gasped out in between giggles, and Benji pulled himself further into Harry's lap to ensure that he wouldn't be next in the line of fire.

"Pa!" Caleb shouted. "Stop the tickle spell, make it stop!" he laughed as Severus continued to pin him to the bed as he tickled his feet then his neck, making Caleb squirm and wriggle to try and get away.

"Finite Incantem," Harry said, pretending to wave his wand over Severus, who stopped was he was doing immediately. Harry rather suspected it was to avoid wet sheets from Caleb's inability to control his bladder in these situations, a fact they had found to their cost after several tickle wars.

Caleb hauled himself off the bed and ran around to Harry's side, eyeing Severus warily over the top of Harry's bent knee. "Take Ben instead!" he told his father, and Harry laughed as Benji pointed a marmalade-covered finger at Caleb and told Severus,

"No take him! He's the one who wants your crusty-sont, not me!"

"I can't believe you just sold your little brother down the river," Harry told Caleb, fighting his grin.

Caleb shrugged and said, "Little brothers have to take the heat sometimes."

Severus snorted and shifted himself to accommodate Ben crawling onto his lap, who had decided that joining forces with Severus against his brother was obviously the wisest move to make. "He's so mean," he complained to his father as Severus cuddled him.

"Am not," Caleb said, grabbing the piece of marmalade toast that Benji had left behind and stuffing it all into his mouth.

"I was eating that!" Benji protested.

"Oo 'eft it," Caleb replied, his mouth full.

"Manners!" Harry reprimanded, and Benji cast a smug look at his brother. Caleb, however, had already spied his window of opportunity, and was round to Severus' side of the bed in a flash, swiping the croissant from his plate before the man could blink.

He went running out of the room cackling like a madman and singing "I got it, I got it" as he raced down the hallway.

"Go and get him Ben, don't let him get away with it," Severus told his son, and Benji went tearing off after his brother, the noises of a very enthusiastic playfight following afterwards.

"I faced down Voldemort and yet I couldn't stop a six-year-old from stealing my breakfast," Severus said to Harry as he turned back to face him, slightly nonplussed.

"Voldemort was a doddle compared to those two," Harry said with a grin as he cast a quick cleaning charm over the bed to rid it of the resulting disarray from two messy children.

"True, very true."

Severus reached over and grabbed the lapel of Harry's pyjama top, pulling him forwards into a slow and languid kiss. Harry's arms snaked around Severus' neck and he insinuated himself into his husband's lap as the kiss deepened. With both of them keeping their ears trained on the antics of their sons, they wrapped themselves around one another and revelled in the moment of being the sole focus of each other's attentions.

" _I have much more in store for you later_ ," Severus told Harry through their link as Harry's hardness met his own. After ten years of marriage, including their first 'fake' year, Harry still had the ability to dominate his thoughts, to render his body totally in need of him.

" _I can't wait_ ," Harry responded as Severus' tongue met his own. " _The house to ourselves, and our trusty old mattress back._ "

" _I'm going to fuck you right into it,"_ Severus growled, and Harry tightened his hold on him.

" _Fuck yes_ ," Harry moaned, wondering if his resolve would hold out until the evening. It would have to, for they had a whole day to get through first, and a Sunday lunch to prepare. The thought effectively poured cold water on him, and he pulled back reluctantly, his eyes shining. "Mm, remember when we used to spend every Sunday morning in bed slowly fucking each other senseless?" he whispered in Severus' ear.

"I remember it fondly," Severus said with a smirk. "But don't worry, I'll have you begging for mercy tonight."

"Yes please," Harry said with a dreamy sigh. "Mm, happy anniversary love."

"Happy anniversary," Severus repeated, leaning forward to place delicate, teasing kisses along Harry's jaw.

A crash came from down the hallway and both Harry and Severus groaned as they knew it meant their eldest son had likely broken something, almost certainly one of the ornaments that littered the antique mahogany table on the landing.

"It wasn't me!" came Benji's voice, swiftly followed by Caleb saying,

"It was an accident!"

Harry laughed and rested his head against Severus' forehead, saying softly, "Thank God Ron and Drake are having them tonight."

"Perhaps we could persuade them to take them permanently?" Severus said wryly.

"There's a thought. Hang on boys, we'll be right there. Don't touch anything!" he shouted down the hallway, knowing how Caleb had an uncanny knack of managing to make any situation worse. "Love you," Harry said to Severus, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before scooting off the bed and out of the room to see what chaos his children had caused.

Severus smiled, the warmth of Harry's kiss lingering on his lips. He had never imagined that one day his Sundays would consist of marmalade in bed, tickle wars and a fight over his own breakfast, but as the noise of his family drifted down the corridor, he knew he wouldn't have had it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having way too much writing these things...must have something to do with counter-acting all the sheer angst I've been writing lately....Oh well, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know!


	7. Trouble

Trouble

"Is it too early to open the wine?" Ron asked, peering into the fridge in Harry and Severus' kitchen.

"We've opened it earlier than now, certainly," Harry said with a grin as he glanced out of the patio doors and tried to see where the noises were coming from.

Benji and Megan were constructing a rope swing over the river under Draco's watchful eye, and Dan, Caleb and Teddy were over by the treehouse, Severus sitting at the table nearby and making sure they were never too far from his sight.

It was late July, and, as had become a tradition amongst the two families, they were using the nicest weekend they had had so far to have a little get-together to celebrate Harry's birthday, Caleb's birthday and Harry and Severus' wedding anniversary. There was very little fuss and people were welcome to come in and out of the estate all day, but now, as the day descended to a pleasantly cool early evening, it was just the two families left, along with Dan, who was staying for the summer.

"I can't believe they still have the energy," Ron said, following Harry's line of sight and glancing at the children outside. He liberated a bottle of wine from the fridge and levitated a couple of glasses from a nearby cupboard over to the breakfast bar, taking a seat opposite Harry. He filled both glasses and passed one along to the man, who accepted it with a smile, raising his glass to clink against Ron's before both men took a measured sip.

"Ooh I needed that," said Harry with a sigh. "They've run me ragged. Mind you," he said, taking another sip, "it's lovely now that Dan's so much older. He just takes of all them and has more energy than we ever will."

"I can't believe he'll be 15 this November, he'll be going into his 4th year at Hogwarts in a couple of months," Ron said with a fond smile.

"It's crazy isn't it?" said Harry, shaking his head. "I can remember when he was one-year-old, and now…Well, I'm still getting over the fact that Caleb's going to be 10 in a couple of days. He'll be going to Hogwarts next year! Where did my baby go?"

Ron smiled in understanding and said, "It's terrifying. I feel like we only just brought the twins home from the hospital. It goes so quickly."

"Oh Merlin, listen to us, we sound like a couple of old biddies."

"We are!" said Ron, and both men descended into giggles.

"Started on the wine early I see," said Dan with a grin as he stepped into the kitchen and headed over to the freezer.

"You should learn to respect your elders," Ron told him.

"Nah, there's no fun in that," Dan replied, turning around with a bag of peas in his hand.

"Unusual choice for a snack, love," Harry said with a smile.

Dan rolled his eyes and said, "For Caleb, he's banged his head again."

Harry groaned and said, "How this time?"

"In fairness, it was all the tree's fault. It had a particularly low-hanging branch and it didn't get it out of the way in time before Caleb ran smack bang into it. He's insisting he's fine of course, but I know him. Just because he bounces, doesn't mean he hasn't hurt himself."

"Oh Dan, you do take care of him."

"Well someone has to, he's a danger to himself."

"Come on," said Ron, "let's take Sev and Drake some wine out and relieve them of their duties."

"Can I have some?" asked Dan with a grin as they all moved back out into the gardens.

"I prefer to stay on your mother's good side thank you very much," said Harry as he approached the table Severus was seated at. He leant down and wrapped his arms around the man's chest and pressed a kiss to his cheek as Ron plonked the wine down and began pouring two more glasses.

"We've given in to alcohol again, I see," Severus said with a smirk as he turned his head slightly to meet Harry in a kiss.

"Long day," Harry murmured into his cheek, revelling in the feeling of being pressed up tightly against his husband.

"Caleb!" Dan called. "Come on up here and let me put this on your head!" Caleb shouted something back in argument and Dan returned, "Don't make me levitate you up here!"

Caleb relented and made his way over while Dan turned to the adults and said with a grin, "He doesn't know I'm not allowed to do magic during the holidays."

"You should have been in Slytherin," said Severus as Harry took a seat next to him and propped his feet up on his lap.

Caleb ran up, his face flushed and his dark hair clinging damply to his forehead. He never did anything by half-measures and although Benji was by far the more competitive of the two, Caleb went at everything a hundred miles an hour.

"You hurt yourself again, love?" Harry asked as Severus began to rub at his feet, both of them looking at their son with familiar fond amusement. Caleb was the most accident-prone child on the face of the planet, and it was only because there were usually at least four pairs of eyes watching him that he had yet to seriously injure himself.

"I'm fine!" Caleb replied, directing his comment to Dan who was still waiting with his bag of peas.

He grabbed Caleb gently and pulled him towards him, holding the back of his head with one hand while the other placed the bag against his forehead. "I'm sure you are but you don't want to go to bed with a massive goose egg on your head, do you?"

"It's cold!" Caleb protested, trying to wriggle away, but Dan held him in place.

"You'll live."

Harry and Severus exchanged an amused glance. Caleb idolised Dan and usually ended up doing exactly as the older boy said. He seemed to think that because he was older than Benji and the twins that he and Dan had more of an affiliation, and consequently he ended up spending more time with him than the others.

Harry was sure that a 14-year-old had better things to do than indulge a boy who was nearly 10, but Dan seemed to have infinite patience and had always shown Caleb nothing but kindness and friendship.

Draco walked up from the river and collapsed on the chair next to Ron, raking a hand through his blond hair and looking across at his husband. "Remind me again why we had children? Did we not like having a quiet life?"

Ron snorted and leant across to place a quick peck to Draco's lips. "We fancied a challenge," he said with a grin as Benji and Megan barrelled over, bickering as usual, Teddy trailing a little way behind them.

He was quiet, which for Teddy was almost unheard of. He bypassed Megan and Benji, who were tucking into the array of puddings on the patio table, and went straight for Ron, climbing onto his lap and tucking his head under the man's chin.

Teddy was the most demonstrative and affectionate of all the children; he was always climbing onto the adults' lap or asking for a cuddle, but to do so when there was food to be had or games to be played was out of character.

"Something wrong, Trouble?" Ron asked his son as the boy nestled in a little closer.

"Don't feel very well," Teddy mumbled.

"You're very hot," Ron said, feeling the heat from Teddy seep through to his chest and neck. "Have you got too much sun hm? Best stay in the shade for a bit. Meggie, can you go and get your brother a drink of water please?"

Megan glanced over at Teddy, and seeing that he didn't look particularly well, complied without argument and went trotting off to the kitchen to do as her father had asked.

"There," said Dan, removing the pack of peas from Caleb's head, "that should do it. Try not to knock any more sense out of your head eh? There'll be none left by the time you get to Hogwarts."

"What house do you think I'll be in?" Caleb asked as he chucked himself down in one of the recliners, Dan perching on the end.

"As long as you're not in Gryffindor and I don't have to put up with you, I don't really mind," Dan replied with a grin.

The evening continued pleasantly, Caleb and Dan using the water pistols that Fred and George had bought the twins a couple of years ago, starting a war against Benji and Megan, who were an unrivalled team and usually won every game they set out to play.

Teddy stayed snuggled on Ron's lap, dozing softly, and had to be carried back into the house when they all decided to go inside and sort out pots of tea and sandwiches for those who were still hungry. Caleb, being the bottomless pit that he was, was very vociferous about wanting an array of options, but Teddy, who could normally match Caleb in the appetite department, was quiet as he lay tucked up on the sofa.

"Honey, are you going to come and have something to eat?" Draco asked as he knelt down beside the sofa.

Teddy shook his head and burrowed a little deeper under the blanket Severus had wrapped around him. "Not hungry, feel sick," he mumbled, and Draco reached out and put a hand on his forehead.

"You're burning up love. Sev, have you got a basic fever potion, something to bring down his temperature?"

"Can't swallow," Teddy rasped, "my throat hurts."

"Sit up sweetheart, let me have a look at you."

Teddy complied with great effort, and Draco's look of concern grew as he watched his son's frail and tentative movements. He felt Teddy's glands then examined his throat, frowning when he saw flecks of yellow of patches on his tonsils.

"Are you aching love?" he asked, and Teddy nodded, his eyes heavy.

Draco looked up to Severus, who was standing beside him, and said, "I think we'd better take him to see Gin, she's on call at St Mungo's. I don't like the look of this."

"You think it's serious?" Severus asked in concern.

"I don't want to risk it. I'd treat him myself but…" Draco trailed off and looked back down at Teddy, who was falling asleep again.

"What's going on?" Ron asked as he and Harry came back into the living room bearing trays of sandwiches. "Teddy? What's the matter?"

"I think I should take him to the hospital," Draco said, standing up and taking Ron's hand. "I'm sure it's probably just a bit of a fever, but I want to get him checked out."

"I'll come with you," Ron said, looking down at his son in worry, unused to seeing him so subdued.

"No, no you stay here with Meg and I'll let you know what's going on when I've spoken to Gin. It'll be fine, I know it will, it's just the Healer in me going overboard," Draco said, but it was obvious that neither he nor Ron really believed his words.

He leant forward and pressed a kiss to Ron's lips, then bent down and scooped Teddy up. His delicate frame always belied his strength, and he carried Teddy effortlessly over to the fireplace, smiling at Severus, who was waiting with a pinch of floo powder.

He looked eyes with Ron, doing his best to give him an encouraging smile before clearly intoning "St Mungo's", the flames carrying him and Teddy away.

"He'll be fine," Harry said gently, laying a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Gin and Drake are both excellent Healers, he's in the best hands."

Ron nodded, though he looked no more convinced. "I'll just go and see what's holding the kids up," he said, his voice more muted than usual, "they were only meant to be washing up for dinner. Caleb's probably caused a tidal wave."

* * *

A week later and Teddy was still in hospital. Ginny, despite contravening hospital policy, had taken over his case and was the only Healer to finally make a diagnosis. Teddy had Scarlet Fever, and, in typical Teddy fashion, there were further complications.

The illness was usually relatively easy to treat, but it had interacted with Teddy's latent magic and had had a severe impact on him. His kidneys and immune system had been affected and he was struggling to get through each day without medical intervention.

Draco and Ron, who had both been given compassionate leave from work, were taking it in turns to stay with him while Megan stayed at the estate with Harry and Severus. Both families were in a state of perpetual worry and no one had had much sleep bar the odd cat-nap.

Harry finished a fire call with Ron, who was looking ashen-faced, and made his way upstairs to check on the children. Severus was at the hospital, offering support while Draco had come back to have a quick shower and to try and catch a few moments of sleep. As Harry neared the top of the stairs, he saw that the man hadn't managed it.

Draco was standing in the doorway to Benji's room, the door slightly ajar. He had his arms crossed and a tired, almost sad smile on his lips. As Harry approached, Draco pressed a finger to his lips and beckoned for him to come closer.

Harry moved to stand beside his friend and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, looking in to Benji's room. Benji was lying on his side, peering over the edge of his bed at Megan, who was lying bundled up in a duvet on the floor next to it. They were whispering back and forth together, their voices low and conspiratorial.

"It doesn't matter how often we put her in her own room, every time she drags her bedding in there and they spend the night talking," Draco whispered to Harry.

"They're inseparable," Harry replied with a smile. "Always have been."

"They're talking about Teddy," Draco said, moving away from the door slightly and leaning against the wall, the paleness of his face broken only by the dark circles underneath his eyes. "She's so worried about him. They fight like cat and dog but it doesn't change the fact that they adore one another. She won't know what to do if – "

"Hey," Harry said, moving over and wrapping the man up in a hug. "We're not thinking that way. There's no reason to suppose that he won't come through this."

Draco pulled back and took a deep breath as Harry rested his hands on his shoulders. "You're forgetting – I'm not just Teddy's father, I'm a Healer as well. I've seen all the charts, seen all the test results; he's desperately ill, Harry. If we bring him through this, he might never be well again."

"Then we'll face that when the time comes," Harry said gently. "His health might suffer, it's true, but it will be nothing that we can't cope with."

Draco sighed and rubbed at his face, making it look unnaturally flushed. "His heart might be weakened for the rest of his life, his immune system has taken one hell of a battering for someone so young, it could leave him susceptible to further infection, to further illness and – "

"I know Drake, I know," Harry said, moving one hand to rub gentle circles up and down Draco's arm. He didn't know what else to say to offer comfort. Everything Draco said was true and Harry knew that they were all terrified that Teddy wouldn't pull through this illness.

"Come on, I know you're not going to try and get some sleep. Let's go get you a coffee at least," he said, raising up to enable himself to wrap an arm around his friend's shoulders.

Draco let himself be led away towards the stairs, and as they descended Harry reached out to tap along the edge of Severus' mind. His husband was sitting in the chair next to Teddy's bed, watching as Ron stood by the darkened window, chewing away at his abused thumb.

Severus felt the pull along his senses and offered Harry the telepathic equivalent of a hug, sensing how worried the man was. He glanced down at his sleeping godson and reached out to smooth his copper-coloured hair. Teddy was only ever quiet when he was asleep, but Severus would have given anything to have the boy up and causing chaos.

He drew his attention back to Ron and saw that the man was staring out of the window, his normally vibrant eyes dull and unfocused. He felt so wretched for the man and wished he could do something to help relieve the stress and pain he was feeling.

He rose quietly from his seat and moved to stand behind the man, placing his hands on his shoulders before pulling him into a tight hug. He had never been tactile with anyone before he had fallen in love with Harry, but ever since his marriage to the man, these displays of affection seemed to come more and more easily to him.

With Ron, it had been that way for many years. He loved the man as he had never loved a friend before, and he felt a closeness to him that only Harry and their children could surpass. His connection to the redhead had surprised him all those years ago, and at first he had thought that it was only because Ron meant so much to Harry. As time went on, however, he knew it wasn't the case.

He loved Ron for his own qualities, on his own merit. He loved the man's tenacity, his loyalty, his fierce determination. He loved his quick mind and his gentle nature, and as he held him tightly to his chest, he wished he could take this hideous pain away from him.

"I'm so frightened, Sev," Ron whispered, his voice muffled by Severus' clothing.

"I know," Severus said as he stroked the man's hair soothingly. "But Teddy has more strength and forbearance than any of us could hope to possess. If anyone can come through this, he can."

Ron pulled back slightly, his eyes red-rimmed. He looked older than his 31 years and Severus wasn't sure how much more worry and uncertainty the man could take.

"I need to get out of this room for a few minutes, I feel like I'm suffocating," Ron said, giving Severus' forearms a squeeze and stepping out his embrace. "I'm going to hunt down some coffee, you want one?"

Severus nodded, and Ron clapped a large hand on his shoulder before shuffling out of the room, wrapping his arms around himself as he went. Severus sighed and moved to sit back down next to Teddy's bed.

"I always knew you'd be the one to give us sleepless nights," he said softly.

Soft blue eyes fluttered open and Teddy blinked up at him, looking dazed and groggy.

"Uncle Sev?" he said croakily, and Severus leant forward to let Teddy grab hold of his hand.

"How are you feeling, Trouble?" Severus asked, employing the nickname they all used.

"Tired, and everything hurts," Teddy replied, holding Severus' hand to his chest and cuddling it.

"Does it feel better at all?" Severus asked gently, using his free hand to brush Teddy's sweaty hair from his forehead.

"No," Teddy replied, holding Severus' hand tightly to himself. "They keep making me take yucky-tasting potions, but nothing helps. I still feel as bad as I did days ago."

"Your Auntie Gin's working very hard to find a solution, I'm sure she'll be able to make you better soon."

Teddy seemed to consider Severus' words, then rolled over onto his back, still gripping Severus' hand. He looked up at the ceiling for a few moments then turned his attention back to his godfather.

"I might not," he said eventually, and Severus felt as though someone had chucked a bucket of ice water over him.

"Teddy – " he began, but the boy interrupted him.

"It's true. Everyone's been very careful not to say it around me but I know it's true. I know that I might never get better, that I'll be ill or my life or…or even that my magic might be affected. I could be a squib."

"It wouldn't matter if you were," Severus said firmly, giving Teddy's clammy hand a squeeze. "We'd all love you just as much as we do now."

"But what if I don't get better? What if this is it now for the rest of my life?" Teddy asked, his eyes searching Severus' for an answer.

Severus was spared having to answer by Ginny popping her head around the door and saying, "Severus, could I have a quick word with you?" She smiled at her nephew and gave him a wink, saying, "Don't worry sweetie, I'll bring him right back."

Teddy gave her a weak smile and released Severus' hand, letting Severus rise to his feet. He paused in the doorway and said, "Your dad will be back in soon, just give us a shout if you need anything."

He followed Ginny out into the hallway, noting that she looked just as tired and frustrated as her brother. She was, however, an excellent Healer, and Severus noted the glint of steely resolve in her eyes and felt encouraged by it.

"I think I may have found a solution," she said, plucking a file from underneath her arm and opening it, taking out a sheaf of parchment and handing it to Severus.

He made a quick scan of it and looked back up to Ginny, who was watching him closely. "You want to extract the illness from Teddy's magic?" he asked, and she nodded slowly.

"If he were an adult I'd be looking to do it with a spell. Draco…before all this happened, he and a colleague were on the verge of perfecting one that could be used in the extraction of a curse from the patient's body. This is the same principle but, because of Teddy's age, I think it would be safer to use a potion. You're the only person alive I know who could brew it."

Severus felt the sudden weight of responsibility bearing down on him, but this was too important to let such a feeling get in the way. He looked down again at the paper Ginny had given him, his mind already taking over and running through the possibilities. "I'll need half a day or so to speak with a number of associates, and I'll need access to all of Draco's research so far."

Ginny nodded and said with an air of resolve, "Whatever you need."

* * *

Three days later and Severus was shut away in his state-of-the-art potions suite at the estate. He had spoken to several colleagues whose expertise he had found invaluable over the years and had immersed himself in Draco's research on extracting curses.

Draco himself had sat with Severus for the better part of a day going through it with him, explaining both the magic and the formula that he and his colleague had formulated. It was some of the most detailed and in-depth magic that Severus had ever come across, and he found himself stunned at Draco's genius.

Transmuting the science and magic behind the spell into a potion was the difficult bit, and Severus had had to call on every bit of intelligence he had gathered in his many years as a Potions Master. He was aware that time was of the essence and that the longer Teddy was left as he was, the greater the threat to both his health and his magic.

He was currently onto batch six of the trial potion and he was hoping it was going to bring him a step closer to finding the winning formula. He was working round the clock, and not since his days as a spy had felt such an urgency when it came to his work.

"Dad?" came a voice from the top of the stairs that led into the cellar. "Can I come down?"

All the children had had it hammered into them from an early age that they were never to enter the potions lab without express permission from Severus, and even when he was in it they were to check it was safe first.

"Yes love," he answered tiredly, and Caleb stomped heavily down the stairs and joined his father at the workbench.

"Pa sent me to ask if you wanted some dinner," he said, tucking himself under Severus' arm and peering carefully into the cauldron his father was bent over.

"Tell him no thanks, but I wouldn't mind a coffee."

Caleb nodded as though he had already guessed that to be the answer. "How's it going?"

Severus sighed and rubbed his eyes, trying to blink away their rawness. "I think I'm getting closer, it's just something of a slow process."

Caleb pulled one of the tall stools over and hopped up on it, looking at his father with an expression that was far too reminiscent of Harry.

"You'll do it, Dad, I know you will. You're the best Potions Master in the world, everyone says so!"

"Thank you sweetheart," Severus said, able to muster a smile for his son.

Caleb looked into the simmering cauldron for a few moments, swinging his legs back and forth gently. "We went to go and see Teddy in the hospital earlier," he said eventually. "It was…weird."

"How do you mean?" Severus asked softly.

Caleb shrugged, looking unhappy. "I've known Ted since he was born, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him quiet. He didn't look like Teddy, he looked…all wrong. Everything's wrong with him like this."

Caleb trailed off, but Severus knew his son well enough to know that there was more to come. He stayed quiet and waited for the boy to gather his thoughts together, watching the play of emotions over his guileless face.

"Uncle Ron and Uncle Drake are beside themselves, Megan's totally preoccupied so of course Ben spends his time trying to make her feel better and you and Pa are doing everything you can to make things better. It's more than that though…it's like…Teddy feels like…our glue."

"Our what?" Severus asked with a smile.

"You know," Caleb said, waving his hand as though that elucidated the point. "He sort of brings us all together. I don't know how to explain it."

Severus nodded, understanding what Caleb meant. Everyone adored Teddy and had done ever since he was born. Whatever was going on, he always seemed to be in the middle of anything that was going on and he was capable of tempting a smile from even the most curmudgeonly of people.

"No one's giving to give up, love. We're going to make Teddy better, I promise," he said, moving to wrap his son up in a hug. Caleb's thin arms came up to encircle his father's waist and he buried his nose in the man's robes.

"You always smell like potions," he said, and Severus smoothed the boy's black hair back and forth. "It's one of my earliest memories," Caleb whispered, "being cuddled by you and smelling all those unusual ingredients. It always made me feel…safe. I always knew it was you. Pa smells of grass…doesn't matter what time of year it is, he always smells of grass."

Severus smiled at Caleb's words, agreeing whole-heartedly. "Well," he said, placing a kiss to the top of Caleb's head, "you go and tell your grassy-smelling father that a coffee would be very welcome, and I'll be up in an hour or so when I can leave this to simmer."

"Yes Dad," Caleb said, gently extracting himself from Severus' arms. He hopped off the stool and gave his father one of the strange appraising looks that he employed every now and again, frowning slightly as he said, "You know, it seems to me that this potion mightn't be so very different from the potion you used to cure Auntie Hermione. That involved illness and magic, didn't it?"

Severus paused for a moment, letting Caleb's words sink in. "Caleb," he said softly, and Caleb tilted his head questioningly, "you're a genius."

"I've been telling everyone that for ages," Caleb said as though it was obvious, trotting off up the stairs and leaving his father to stare after him in wonder before giving himself a shake and searching for the papers pertaining to Hermione's cure.

* * *

"When will we know if it's worked?" Ron asked, looking at Severus hopefully.

"Within the next 24 hours," Severus answered, praying to deities he had never believed in that he had got it right. It wouldn't harm Teddy, of that much he was certain. There was no way he was going to let a potion get anywhere his godson that had any potential to do him any damage, but he wished he could say with certainty that it would be successful in curing him.

He, Ron, Draco and Harry were all waiting at the hospital while Remus and Hermione looked after the children. All the children apart from Megan, that was, who had insisted quite firmly upon being present at the hospital when the potion was administered.

" _He's my brother_ ," she had argued, " _my_ _twin_ _brother. If anyone has a right to be there it's me, and I'd like to see any of you try and stop me_."

If this was what she was like at only eight years old, they all struggled to imagine what on earth she would be like in ten years' time. It was only right that she was there, of course. As volatile as their relationship could sometimes be, Teddy and Megan adored one another underneath everything, and would have fought Voldemort himself (had he still been alive) on each other's behalf.

They were all in one of the family rooms, waiting for any news. Severus had given Teddy the potion an hour ago, his godson telling him with a smile that it tasted of peppermint, his favourite. Severus had of course admitted to no one that he had tailored it just so, knowing the boy's love of the flavour.

"It'll work, I know it will," Megan said quietly as she sat cuddled into Draco's side.

Draco placed a kiss to his daughter's forehead and pulled her a little closer. "Of course it will darling, there's no one on earth who can make potions like Uncle Severus."

Megan smiled across at Severus and said, "I wish you could have taught me at Hogwarts, as well as being my Head of House too."

"Planning on being in Slytherin are we, darling?" Ron asked.

"Of course," Megan said as though it were a foregone conclusion. "Someone has to carry on the Malfoy tradition. Teddy's so obviously a Gryffindor, it won't be him."

"And what about Caleb and Benji, honey?" Harry asked from his place on the sofa next to Severus. "Where will they end up."

"Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Megan replied assuredly.

"Hufflepuff?" Severus said, looking vaguely perturbed by the notion.

"Don't be a snob," Harry said with a prod to his ribs. "I think Meggie's right, Caleb is prime Hufflepuff material."

Megan nodded and sent Severus him a vaguely chastising look, as though disappointed that he had dared to question her assertion. "It'll be strange having Teddy in a different House to me," she continued, "but I hope he won't expect me to hold back when it comes to House points. I'll wipe the floor with him."

"That's my girl," said Draco with a laugh, running his elegant fingers through her silvery-blonde hair. "We have to keep these Gryffindors in check."

"Well you married one," she said with a sniff and all the adults laughed, Ron moving away from the door to sit on her other side, wrapping an arm around her and Draco, holding them tightly.

"So did your Uncle Severus," he told her, pointing towards Harry.

"Well," she said with an imperious shrug, "love is blind and all that."

They fell to good-natured bickering for a while, Draco and Severus ganging up on Ron and Harry as each pair slandered the other's House. Megan refereed, though it was hardly fair as she was very firmly on Draco and Severus' side, but all four men found themselves put in place by the young woman more than once.

Severus was about to list the many times that Slytherin had won the quidditch cup when the door opened and Ginny appeared. The look on her face gave everyone in the room more hope than they'd had in weeks.

"Would you all care to come and see the patient?" she asked with a smile. She held out her hand to Megan and the little girl bounced up from her seat, moving to take it and letting herself be led out of the room by her aunt.

They walked in silence down the corridor, all nervous, but Ginny's manner had instilled confidence in them all. They entered Teddy's room to find him sitting up in bed, a bowl full of ice cream propped up on his knees, shovelling a huge spoonful of the stuff into his mouth.

He grinned at them as they crowded around the bed and raised his spoon in a salute to Severus, saying, "Marvellous potion Uncle Sev, really is the dog's – "

"Yes! Thank you Theodore, illness is no excuse for bad language," Ron said, cutting off his son, though it was obvious his heart wasn't in the admonishment.

"How are you feeling?" Megan asked, climbing up to sit on the end of the bed opposite her brother.

"Brilliant!" Teddy said enthusiastically, his cheeks their usual ruddy colour rather than the ashen pallor they'd been previously. "Although this hospital ice cream is nothing like the stuff Gran has."

"Sorry," said Ginny with a smile, "hospital food will never win any prizes."

"No matter," said Teddy affably, "I'm sure I'll get all the food I want when I'm back home."

Ron and Draco, seeming to snap out of the trance they had been in at seeing their son so well, moved to sit either side of him on the bed, cuddling him between them, their sense of relief palpable.

"You can have whatever you want sweetheart," Draco said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Anything," Ron promised, soundly equally as affected.

"A fella could get used to this," Teddy said with a grin as he nestled in happily between his parents.

"You gave us such a scare," Ron whispered into the copper hair beneath his nose as he held his son close.

"I knew Uncle Sev would come to the rescue," Teddy said, smiling up at the man in question. "I'm his favourite, he wouldn't have let anything happen to me, would you, old man?"

"No Teddy," Severus said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I do so love writing Teddy! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please drop me a comment and let me know.


	8. Hogwarts Welcomes the Next Generation

Hogwarts Welcomes the Next Generation

"We have to get up, love."

"No we don't," came the sulky reply.

Harry cuddled in closer to his husband with a tolerant smile and gently teased his ear with his teeth. "Come on, the boys are already awake, I can hear them," he whispered softly. "We can't let Caleb pack by himself, he'll end up with nothing but sweets and his favourite books in his trunk."

"Dobby will be helping," Severus replied, pulling the duvet up over his head and blocking Harry out.

"Stop behaving like a child," Harry chided. "We knew this day would come, we can't hide from it."

"That's what you think," came the muffled reply from under the covers.

Harry shook his head and sat up, looking down in amusement at the lump that was currently his husband. It was here, the day that Caleb left for Hogwarts, and neither Harry nor Severus was handling it particularly well. Harry was at least willing to feign excitement for his son's sake, but Severus had been in a foul mood for a week and wasn't coping well his firstborn leaving for school.

Harry could hardly believe it was actually happening. It seemed to him that they had only just brought Caleb home from the hospital, a tiny little bundle that cried around the clock. Now here he was, 11-years-old and off to start his first year at Hogwarts. Harry was glad that things had changed at the school and it was now much more common for the pupils to come home for weekends throughout term-time, but he and Severus had both agreed that Caleb shouldn't come home for at least the first month.

Their son was affable and easy-going, he had the ability to make friends easily and people warmed to him, but he was also a complete homebody that liked nothing better than being at the estate with his family. He had a shy streak, and while he was excited about going off to school, Harry knew that his son would be homesick almost immediately.

It would have been all too easy to let the boy come home as soon as he wanted to, but it would do Caleb no favours in the long run. He needed time to bond with his dorm-mates, to establish some independence away from his parents and to experience the richness that life at Hogwarts could provide.

"Come on Sev, you can't carry on like this. You'll upset Caleb."

There was a long pause then finally one corner of the duvet was pushed aside and Severus slowly emerged from underneath it.

"When did he turn 11?" he asked, and Harry could see the grumpiness was masking his husband's concern.

"A month ago, love," Harry said, tucking a strand of Severus' hair behind the man's ear. It was starting to grey a little now, and rather than aging the man, it made him look rather distinguished.

Severus sighed, his face still a mask of distaste. "I'm not ready for him to leave home. The house will be so quiet without him."

"We still have Ben to keep us on our toes. Besides, Caleb will be back and forth once he's settled in. We'll never be rid of him."

"You don't believe that," Severus replied, and Harry had to admit that part of him hoped it wouldn't be true.

He wanted his son to settle in so well that home wouldn't be a place of refuge for him. He wanted him to experience Hogwarts in all its splendour, to revel in the freedom of living away from home. Still, a larger part of himself than he cared to admit to was distraught at the thought of bidding his son farewell.

Unaware of his parents' dilemma, Caleb himself was flitting around his room, stuffing things haphazardly in the trunk his Uncle Ron had bought him only a week ago. Dobby was following behind him, taking things out of the trunk as soon as they went in and trying to rearrange them into some kind of order.

Ben was standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest, watching the scene with undisguised displeasure. He had made no secret of the fact that he was thoroughly disgusted with the arrangement and that he thought it most unfair that Caleb got to go away to Hogwarts a whole two years before him.

"Your face will stay that way if you're not careful," Caleb told him as he dumped all the sweets Nan had bought him into one corner of the trunk.

Dobby tutted and removed them, placing only a few back in to stop Caleb moaning too much.

"It's not fair," Ben said, stopping short of stomping his feet. "I'm just as clever as you, probably cleverer in fact. I should be going to Hogwarts."

"You're too young. You'll be going the year after next," Caleb replied breezily as he stuffed all his t-shirts into the trunk.

"Master Caleb!" Dobby chastised. "You must be leaving this to Dobby. Dobby will see that everything is packed right. This is no good!"

"Don't worry, Dobs! It's all going in just fine."

"No Master Caleb! It is not fine! Things will be creased and…and…untidy! Books must go in first or they will squash everything else."

"You worry too much, Dobs," Caleb said, grabbing his cauldron and slinging it in.

Dobby looked as though his head would explode at any minute and Harry arrived just in time to shoo the boys downstairs and leave the little elf to his task.

Breakfast was the chaos it normally was. Caleb insisted on pancakes drenched in honey, while Ben, always the fussy eater, ummed and ahhed his way through the choices before he settled on glaring at a bowl of cereal.

It was hard to determine who was in a worse mood – Ben or Severus. Severus, of course, was doing his best to hide it so as not to upset his son, but it was palpable nevertheless. Ben was doing nothing to hide the fact that he was furious with everyone and everything, and his cereal took the brunt of it as he stabbed it with his spoon.

Caleb was more off the wall than he usually was and he refused to sit still while he shovelled his pancakes in his mouth. Harry had to tell him off several times for speaking with his mouth full while he prattled on about how amazing life at Hogwarts was going to be. Harry wasn't entirely certain that his son wasn't doing all he could to wind his younger brother up further.

Severus contributed nothing to conversation, merely stared into his coffee as though it had caused him offence. Harry tried kicking him under the table once or twice, but after Severus sent a particularly vicious kick back his way he abandoned the enterprise altogether. Let him sulk. It was what he did best after all.

"What House do you think I'll be sorted into, Pa?" Caleb asked, and all eyes turned to him.

It was something that Harry and Severus had talked about at length. Of course, there was a certain amount of competition where the topic was concerned, and each man wanted their son to be sorted into their former House. However, it had also been agreed upon that whatever House Caleb ended up in, both of them would be supportive and proud.

"I honestly couldn't say, sweetheart," Harry said, exchanging a glance with his husband. "Which House would you like to end up in?" he asked, slinging an arm around his son's shoulders while the boy stood still for a moment.

Caleb considered the question for a moment, his dark brows knitting in a thoughtful frown. He was beginning to look so much like Severus, although his nose and jawline were very much Harry's.

"I think I'd fit in any of the Houses to be honest," he said eventually. "I'm not sure I have any qualities that dominate the others."

"Well, the hat will take that into account. And remember, you can always argue with it if you don't agree with the choice it makes."

"I'm fairly certain only you have ever argued with the hat," Severus said with a raised eyebrow. "There's no record of anyone else having persuaded it into changing its choice."

"As if I'm so singular," Harry replied, and didn't need the link that existed between them to hear Severus' thoughts at that moment.

"Well, maybe they'll create a House just for you as you're so special," Ben said snidely, giving his cereal particularly vicious prod.

"I think it's dead, love," Harry said, taking the bowl away from him before he massacred the contents any further.

"Caleb can bring it back to life, he's so advanced after all."

"That's enough," Severus said quietly. "This is an exciting day for your brother, there's no need to spoil it."

"Yeah, like you're so thrilled," Ben retorted, hopping off the kitchen stool and stalking out into the garden.

"Little git," Severus murmured under his breath.

Harry rolled his eyes and followed his son outside while Caleb's sharp eyes fell on Severus.

"You're not happy about me going?" he asked his father quietly.

Severus sighed and placed his coffee to one side. "I've not done very well at hiding it, I'm sorry."

"Don't you want me to go?"

"Oh sweetheart, don't think that for one minute," Severus said, taking Caleb's hand in his own. "Of course I'm excited for you and I know you'll have a wonderful time. It's just that…I'll miss you. I'm not really ready for you to go away."

"I'll be back," Caleb insisted.

"I know you will, although we did agree not within the first month. You'll think I'm a foolish old sod, and I daresay I am but…it's very hard for me to think of you as old enough to go away to school. I can't help thinking of you as that little baby we brought home from the hospital."

"Dad," Caleb protested, his cheeks flushing.

"Sorry," Severus said with a laugh. "I'm going to miss you crashing around the house and breaking things. I'm going to miss you helping me with my potions. I'm going to miss your appalling table manners!"

Severus wrapped an arm around him and Caleb cuddled in tightly. He was also going to miss the opportunity to hug his son whenever he wanted. He was going to miss their family evenings, all four of them snuggled up on the sofa watching whatever film the boys had chosen.

Caleb leaving home signalled a change for them all. Within a couple of years Ben would be joining him at school and their family life would never quite be the same again. Before anyone knew it, both boys would have graduated and would be stepping out into the world as adults. It was a hard thing to wrap one's head around.

"This will always be my home, Dad," Caleb said softly.

"I know, but one day you'll make your own home and…I suppose with you leaving I'm reminded very strongly of that."

"I…don't know what I can say to that," Caleb said honestly, and Severus removed himself slightly so he could meet the boy's eyes.

"It's not your responsibility to say anything, nor to feel guilty about growing up. Everything's exactly as it should be and I'll sort myself out soon enough."

Harry appeared at the French windows, his hands on Ben's shoulders as the boy stood in front of him. It was apparent that words had been had and Ben's expression was just as sulky as it had been when he had left the kitchen.

"Right everyone, let's get ourselves ready to go or we'll miss the train," Harry said, setting everyone to rights with his usual air of practicality.

* * *

The platform was just as busy as Caleb had imagined it to be and the train was just as impressive as his parents had said it was. His luggage was loaded and his stomach began doing summersaults as it really began to sink in that this was it.

"Caleb!" came a voice through the crowd, and Caleb rose up on tiptoes to see Dan making his way through the crowds towards them. "Don't you look smart!"

"Hi Dan," Caleb said with a grin, feeling a little more at ease at the sight of a familiar face.

"Hi Uncle Harry, Uncle Sev. Oh Ben! Cheer up," Dan said as he greeted his extended family.

"Bit of sore point," Harry said, rolling his eyes towards his youngest, who was standing slightly apart from them all, jaw set firm in a scowl.

"Is that a prefect's badge I spy?" Severus asked, looking at the pin on Dan's Gryffindor robes.

"It certainly is," Dan said proudly. "5th year prefect on track to becoming Head Boy, if you listen to Mum. She's made up."

"As she should be," Harry said, leaning over and clapping the young man on the back.

"Dan!" called a boy from a little further down the platform. "Come on, we're bagging a carriage!"

"I'm sorting out my cousin, you go on," Dan called back.

"You don't have to do that," Caleb said, feeling his cheeks heat. "I don't want to be a burden."

"As if! They can wait, this is your first time on the Express, you need to be with a safe pair of hands."

Dan winked at him and Caleb dipped his head as his smile spread across his cheeks. There was a flurry of hugs and Caleb was swept up between his fathers who were doing their best not to embarrass him too much.

"I'll see you when I get back, Ben," Caleb said to his brother, who was still standing with his arms folded, looking as though he'd hex them all if he could.

"Goodbye," he said stiffly.

"Don't I get a hug?" Caleb asked, and Ben shook his head. He received a nudge from Harry but he stood his ground and stared at the floor.

Caleb sighed and said, "Fine, if that's the way you want it. Come on, Dan. Let's get on the train."

Caleb gave his parents one last wave before letting Dan lead him off down the platform. His cousin explained that most of the first years took the front carriages and the different years spread back through the train.

"None of you are in Houses yet so it's easier not to let that stuff get in the way," Dan said.

"Does it? Get in the way I mean."

Dan shrugged. "Sometimes. It's definitely better than it used to be, better than during your dads' time that's for certain. So, on you get and head for the front carriages. I won't come with you, the last thing you want is to be escorted by a prefect," he said with a grin, his hand resting lightly on Caleb's back.

"Thanks, Dan. You know, it's ok if…when we're at school…you don't want to hang out with me. I'm only a first year and I know you have your own friends and they'll probably tease you and – "

"Hey! You want to slow down so I can catch up?" Dan said in his usual affable manner. "I'm not going to pretend I don't know you just because you're a first year! Anyway, you'll forget all about me after your first week, you'll be too busy making your own friends."

Caleb said nothing but privately thought that the day he forgot about Dan would be the day he lost his mind. The train whistle blew loudly and Dan gave him a gentle pat to get on board. As he stepped up he felt a tug on his sleeve and he turned to see Ben standing there, managing to look cross and sheepish at the same time.

"I have to go, Ben. The train's going to leave."

Ben chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before he threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Caleb's waist. He held on so tightly that Caleb began to worry that his brother would cut off his circulation.

"I'll miss you, Caleb," Ben murmured into Caleb's jumper. "I wish you weren't going."

He pulled back, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. Caleb placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and said, "You'll have Dad and Pa all to yourself, you'll have a great time without me."

Ben shook his head and said softly, "It won't be the same."

"I'm going to write special letters, just to you. Dad and Pa won't know about them, they'll just be between us, ok?"

"You promise?"

"I promise. Have I ever not kept a promise before?"

"I guess not."

The train whistle blew again and Caleb looked around, realising that it was now only parents who were left on the platform. He could see his own standing together, Dad's arm around Pa as they watched them.

"Go, or it'll leave without you, and then I'll be stuck with you," Ben said, cracking a smile for the first time in a week.

He moved back to stand with their parents and Caleb boarded the train. He paused in the doorway to wave goodbye to his family one last time, butterflies collecting in his stomach as reality set in.

The train slowly began moving and Caleb held on to the hand rail to stop himself from falling as it lurched forward. Dan was waiting for him a little way down the carriage and as Caleb approached, he said,

"There are a few first years in there. They all look as scared and nervous as one another, you should go in and join them."

"Ok, thanks Dan."

"No problem. I'll leave you to it. Remember, even if you don't end up in Gryffindor, I'll always be around, you can come and talk to me whenever you like."

"Nah," said Caleb with a grin. "I don't want to be seen as the square that hangs around with prefects."

Dan gave him a gentle cuff around the head and moved off down the train, off to find his own friends no doubt. Caleb took a deep breath then stepped forward, opening the carriage door as several pairs of eyes turned his way.

The train ride passed in a blur. Everyone in the carriage was just as excited as he was and he could only remember one or two of the names people had told him. There was a mix of people from wizarding families, mixed or purely muggleborn and Caleb found himself holding back from telling people his surname.

It would come out, of course. The second he was called up to be sorted the whole school would know who he was, but he was hopeful that he could make a friend or two before anyone found out how famous his family was.

It wasn't that he wasn't proud of his parents, he was, insanely so, but he wanted to be taken on his own merit rather than as the son of The Boy Who Lived and Professor Snape. His parents' fame was inescapable and he and Ben had grown up with the stories of how they had defeated Voldemort once and for all.

Part of him worried that he would constantly be compared to his parents. The teachers would expect all sorts of amazing things from him and the pupils would expect him to have the same kind of incredible magic that his Pa possessed. It was a daunting prospect to have so much to live up to, but he was hopeful that people had enough sense to try and let him find his own way out of the shadow of his family.

The talk on the train was all about Hogwarts and what to expect. The muggleborns were quite clearly in awe of everything around them and had no idea what was awaiting them when the train arrived at its destination. There were others who had older siblings or parents who had attended the magical institute and they wasted no time in displaying their knowledge.

Caleb had heard all the stories of Hogwarts from Dan, his parents and all his extended family. There was very little he didn't know about the place but he didn't want to draw any attention to himself by shouting about this fact.

Dad and Pa had already had a long talk with him about what to expect now he was attending the school. He had already been lectured about calling Auntie Minerva and Auntie Hermione 'Professor McGonagall' and 'Professor Granger', while Uncle Remus had to be called 'Professor Lupin'. That would take some getting used to, that was certain.

Sooner than he expected, they were all alighting the train and being herded towards the boats while the other years headed off towards the waiting carriages. Hagrid was there to greet them all and Caleb kept his head down as he shuffled along with the others, glancing up just in time to receive a wink from the half-giant.

The air was filled with chatter but Caleb mostly kept quiet. He liked people well enough but he preferred to sit back and take in situations before he dived into them. He liked to take stock of people, to size them up before he offered his tuppence-worth and it was a technique that usually served him well.

The Deputy Headmaster, who was thankfully not a member of Caleb's extended family, ushered them all into the corridor outside the Great Hall and apprised them all of what was to happen. The first years all began to chatter excitedly but were silenced very effectively by a raised eyebrow from the man. Caleb couldn't help but be reminded of his own father and the thought was strangely comforting.

After a moment's pause they were all led into the Great Hall and Caleb's stomach flipped as they moved down the lines of tables. It was a splendid room and the ceiling was just as impressive as Auntie Hermione had said it would be.

Thinking of her, Caleb chanced a quick glance up at the Head Table. There she was, sitting next to Uncle Remus and beaming proudly at him. Uncle Remus was obviously trying to be a bit more subtle but there was a very definite twinkle in his eyes.

There was a large intake of first years and it took a while until it was finally Caleb's turn. He took a deep breath as 'Penny Naysmith' was sorted into Ravenclaw before he heard the Deputy Headmaster call out, "Caleb Potter-Snape."

A loud murmur spread around the hall and Caleb could hear snatches of "Oh my goodness, that's Harry Potter's son!" and "Snape's kid! Reckon he'll end up in Slytherin?". He did his best to ignore it as he made his way up to the awaiting chair.

The hat was placed on his head and although he couldn't hear its voice like Pa had said he might, he could hear a faint hum, almost as though he could hear the hat's thoughts. _I don't care where I end up_ , he thought, _I just want to be certain that I truly belong there._ The faint hum grew louder until finally he heard the hat call out, "Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers and Caleb felt a sense of relief wash over him as he hopped down from the chair. At least neither of his parents' feelings would be hurt this way and he wouldn't be living in either of their shadows. Whispers followed him all the way to the table but the other newly-inducted first years welcomed him, as did the older Hufflepuffs.

He glanced across the room and caught Dan's eye. The older boy gave him a rueful smile and Caleb returned it. It would have been nice to have been in the same house as him but at least this way he could forge his own path. As many pairs of eyes continued to stare at him, he realised that that might be easier said than done.

* * *

Caleb's first week was not going at all as he had envisioned it. He was terribly homesick and he missed Ben and his parents more than he had been prepared for. He missed his bedroom, the family room, the kitchen where he always watched his Pa make dinner. He missed listening to Dad and Ben arguing and he missed the smells that wafted up from Dad's potions lab.

Luckily he had friendly and cheerful dorm-mates and he was slowly starting to form friendships with them all. However, it wasn't the Hufflepuffs who were the problem. In an unexpected turn Caleb found that most of his issues stemmed from the Gryffindor contingent.

It started innocuously enough. The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors had several classes together, one of which was Potions. He supposed, in hindsight, he should have just kept his head down and his mouth shut, but it was his best subject and he couldn't help answering the questions the professor asked.

That was enough to label him as the teacher's pet and then once they had that as ammunition it wasn't long before his parentage came into play. He would hear them whispering snide things like, "Well of course he knows all about Potions, his Daddy's obviously been tutoring him", or "He should have been sorted into Slytherin, he's clearly a chip off the old block".

He tried not to let it get to him, he was happy enough in Hufflepuff where the others couldn't get to him and there many classes that didn't involve the Gryffindors at all. Still, a group of them made a point to make comments at dinner time or when they passed him in the corridors.

It was so tempting go home, to pack up his things and retreat back to his parents for the weekend but he steeled himself against the urge. A few of the other first years had gone home on the first weekend and it was clear that they weren't settling in well at all.

He did what comforted him the most in times like these – threw himself into learning. It wasn't perhaps the best way of trying to get people to stop calling him a teacher's pet, but books and knowledge had always been his refuge. Books reminded him of Dad and Potions, of Pa and his bed-time stories. Books were friends that never left, doorways into worlds that provided escape. Things may have been difficult but at least he had a retreat that many didn't.

He had always had a reputation for being clever, but really it was Ben who was the clever one. Caleb was a grafter and he enjoyed working at things. It was no different with his studies. Some things came naturally it was true but others required more effort. He found himself spending a great deal of time in the library, which was as good an escape as his beloved books were.

"Here again?"

Caleb glanced up from the books spread out across one of the library tables to see his Auntie Hermione leaning against the chair opposite.

He smiled and said, "I have a lot of homework. I thought the teachers would ease us all in a bit but it looks like I was wrong."

"We like to start as we mean to continue," Hermione said, returning his smile. "Are you getting on alright with it all?"

"Mostly," Caleb said with a nod. "It's a bit more intense than I was expecting."

"It'll settle down after a week or two. You'll get into a rhythm with it."

There was a pause for a moment and Caleb watched as Madam Pince went over to chastise a group of rowdy fourth years. He could tell Auntie Hermione was watching him and he turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"How are you getting on besides the schoolwork?" she asked and Caleb sighed.

"It's a bit up and down to be honest. All the other Hufflepuffs are great and the boys I share the dorm with are lovely, it's just…the Gryffindors aren't so welcoming."

"Oh dear. Should I have a word? I'm their Head of House after all and – "

"No Auntie Hermione…I mean Professor Granger. I don't want them to think that I've come running to you to sort out my problem. It'll all calm down soon, I'm sure of it. They just need the novelty to wear off, to get used to me being Dad and Pa's son."

"Is that what it's about?" Hermione asked, looked concerned.

"It's what it was always going to be about," Caleb said practically. "I knew it would happen, me being who I am, I just didn't think it would be this bad. I know people are fascinated by Dad and Pa and that they have their detractors…I just hoped that people would take me for me…not just their son."

"People are idiots," Hermione said bluntly, "especially 11-year-olds…no offence."

"None taken," Caleb said with a grin. "Look, you won't say anything to Dad and Pa will you? They'll only worry and there's nothing they can do about it."

"If you don't want me to then I won't tell them, but if the situation gets serious then – "

"It won't, I won't let it."

"I sometimes forget what a stubborn little so-and-so you are. I remember when you were little and you decided you wanted to ride your bike without stabilisers. You just decided one day and that was it – you made your Pa remove them and you rode all over the estate until you'd cracked it. I'll never forget the look on your dad's face when you came back in with your shirt torn, grass stains all over you and a skinned chin. Still, you'd done it, you'd mastered it, just like you'd told everyone you would. When it comes to you, Caleb there's nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it."

"Thanks Auntie Hermione…Professor Granger. That'll take some getting used to," he added, rolling his eyes.

"Go on, go and spend the rest of the evening in the common room. This lot will all be here for you to do tomorrow," she said, gesturing to his homework.

"You'd have never said that when you were my age."

"I wish your Pa would stop telling all these tall tales about me. Honestly, I was a rebel."

Caleb laughed and gathered up his belongings, bidding his auntie farewell and resisting the urge to hug her. He'd known her all his life and he could remember climbing up onto her lap when he was little while she told him stories. It was strange to sit in her lessons and listen to her being authoritative and stern, just as it was odd to watch Uncle Remus command a room of wide-eyed children.

"Hanging out with teachers now because you haven't got any friends?" came a voice behind him as he walked down the corridor.

He turned to find Barney Cullen following him and he cursed silently to himself. Barney was the instigator of nearly all the trouble and he had a vicious mouth on him when it suited him.

"I don't know why it should be of any interest to you if I speak to Professor Granger."

"Ah, but it's not 'Professor Granger', is it? It's 'Auntie Hermione'," Barney said nastily. "It must be something to be part of such a famous family."

"Why don't you mind your own business? I'm not bothering you."

"All those House points you keep getting are bothering me."

"Why don't you focus on earning your own instead of worrying about Caleb's?" came a voice to Caleb's left, and he turned to see an older boy walking down the corridor towards him.

"What's it got to do with you, Andrews?" Barney asked, turning his attention to the other boy.

"A few of us aren't too happy with the way Caleb's being treated," the boy said, and that's when Caleb noticed that there were others walking down the corridor. A couple he recognised, students from his own year, but several were strangers to him.

Barney scoffed and said, "What? The poor little baby can't stand up for himself? Shows why he wasn't sorted into Gryffindor."

"From what I hear, Caleb's grades are the highest in every class. I'm sure if he had a mind to he could hex you into the middle of next week."

"I'd like to see him try," Barney said, eyes narrowed.

"Really?" said a girl, stepping forward. Caleb was reminded very much Pansy Parkinson, an old student of his dad's who popped by to visit every now and again. "Would you like to see us all try?"

"You wouldn't dare," said Barney, sticking his chin out.

"Oh we would," the girl said. "And let me tell you something, there's a few of us who won't play by the rules."

Barney looked at them all for a moment before he gave a nasty laugh and said, "As if I'd waste my time on you lot. Pathetic," he spat, then turned and stalked off down the corridor.

Caleb watched him go, feeling a little bewildered, then turned to look at the people assembled next to him. "You really didn't have to do that," he said to the boy.

"We know you can take care of yourself but we thought it couldn't hurt to make our voices heard. My name's Nicky Andrews," the boy said, extending his hand.

"Caleb Potter-Snape," Caleb said, shaking it.

"Yeah, I know," Nicky said with a smile. "Us Slytherins are big fans of your dad – Professor Snape I mean."

"Really?" Caleb asked, confused.

Nicky nodded. "Without him Slytherin would still be known as a House for dark wizards and social climbing. He gave us a reason to be proud again and for the rest of the wizarding world to stop treating us like pariahs."

"You're all Slytherins?" Caleb asked, glancing at the group.

"No," said the girl, "we're a mixed bunch, a group that's not overly-keen on being set apart by Houses." She moved a little closer and said, "I'm Jess Parkinson."

"I knew you were related to Pansy!" Caleb said, seeing that the girl had Pansy's eyes and mouth.

"She's my aunt. She's also on the Board of Governors here and it's thanks to her that we have a multi-House common room."

"A what?" Caleb asked.

"A common room for people from any House," said Nicky. "Somewhere we can all meet up without any of the pressures of House nonsense. You'd be welcome there any time. Don't worry, narrow-minded Gryffindors tend not to join us," he added with a grin.

"In that case, I'd be thrilled to join you," Caleb replied, returning the grin.

"Come on then, Jess makes the best hot chocolate in the world. You've got to try it."

An arm was slung around his shoulders and as a group they all moved together down the corridor. Caleb felt freer and lighter than he had done in a long time and suddenly life at Hogwarts seemed to hold more possibilities than it previously had done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in the middle of writing two quite intense, emotional long-fics and decided to give my mind a break to write something a little simpler. Besides, I wanted to drop in our favourite family and add to their story. I hope you all enjoyed it, drop me a review and let me know.


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